Jose Mourinho (61) has revealed how much he wanted Kim Min-Jae (28, Bayern Munich) when he was at Tottenham Hotspur.
EA Sports’ FC Online YouTube channel released an interview with Jose Mourinho on Aug. 8 (KST). In the interview, Mourinho talked about Son Heung-min, whom he coached at Tottenham, and revealed the story behind his pursuit of Kim Min-jae.
Mourinho is one of the greatest coaches in Europe. He began his coaching career at Benfica in 2000 and has been a championship-winning coach at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Manchester United, and many other clubs. He has also managed Tottenham and AS Roma.
Mourinho is currently taking a break from coaching. He was sacked by Roma in January and has been looking for a new job ever since. Some have speculated that he might retire, but Mourinho has expressed his desire to continue coaching.
Mourinho also managed Tottenham from November 2019 to April 2021. It was a mixed bag, but there were highs and lows, with the duo of Son Heung-min and Harry Kane exploding onto the scene. The latter scored a career-high 17 goals and 10 assists in the Premier League alone in the 2020-2021 season. 안전놀이터 It was also the first 10-goal, 10-assist season of his career.
At the time, Mourinho also tried to sign Kim Min-Jae.
Tottenham were lacking a reliable central defender and were looking for a new face. There were even reports in England that Son Heung-min had recommended Kim to the club.
Until now, these were just rumors, but Mourinho himself confirmed them. “I saw him more often when Jose Mourinho was in the K League. Whenever there was an Asian Champions League, he would wonder, ‘Are there any good players there? Mourinho’s former coach at Porto, Mourinho went on to manage Jeonbuk Hyundai from 2019 to 2020.
“When I was at Tottenham, I was trying to find a good central defender. I asked Son Heung-min and he said he had a good defender playing in China. I started watching his games, and he gave me a video call.” He didn’t mention the name, but he was talking about Kim Min-jae.
“I spoke to him (Kim) on the phone, I spoke to his agent, I tried to find a way. I also spoke to his agent and tried to find a way, but we decided not to buy him from Tottenham because of the small amount of money, and he’s now playing for Bayern Munich,” Mourinho said with a bitter smile.
At the time, Kim was playing for Beijing Guoan in the Chinese League, so his price tag was not high. In fact, Mourinho said after his arrival at Roma last year, “I wanted Kim when I was at Tottenham and I had a video call with him. At the time, Beijing Guoan were asking for €10 million (about KRW14.7 billion). I could have gotten him for €7 million to €8 million, but Tottenham only offered €5 million,” he said in frustration.
Still, Tottenham’s hesitation led to the deal falling through.
Mourinho said, “His (Kim Min-jae’s) price was really low. I could have bought him myself with my own money,” Mourinho joked.
Son Heung-min recommended and Mourinho pushed for the signing. “Son Heung-min suggested we sign Kim Min-jae,” Mourinho said. I proceeded, I looked at all possible directions. I analyzed him. I saw mistakes and areas to improve, but I also saw potential for growth,” Mourinho said. ”He grew up playing in Italy and became a top center back. We had two or three video calls,” he explains.
Mourinho was right. Mourinho was right. Kim developed into one of Europe’s top center backs after his stint with Tottenham and Italy. He moved to Fenerbahce from Tottenham in the summer of 2021 and flourished.
Just one year later, he switched to Napoli and had the best year of his career. His first big league start was also a narrow one. He led Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years and was named the best defender of the 2022-2023 season. Now, he’s fighting for a starting spot at Bayern Munich.
Joe Roden, Spurs’ replacement for Kim, on the other hand, was a complete bust. At the time, Tottenham paid €15 million (approx. KRW 220 million) with options to buy him from the English Championship (second division). However, Roden never lived up to expectations and is still out on loan. As a result, 온라인카지노사이트 Tottenham are still looking to strengthen their center backs.
Mourinho also revealed his deep affection for Son Heung-min in an interview with FC Online: “I don”t see him as a Korean player. I see him as one of the best players in the world,” he said. ”He could have won titles, he could have played for the best teams. Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, etc. in the Premier League. He could have played for the best teams in the world,” he continued.