Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc has dismissed speculation linking Jose Mourinho with taking charge at the club.
As noted by The Sun, the Portuguese tactician has been heavily linked with a switch to Germany in recent days, with the report even suggesting that he is busy learning the language in preparation for a job in the Bundesliga.
However, based on Zorc’s comments below, it doesn’t sound as though Dortmund are weighing up their coaching options as he has insisted that they’re backing Lucien Favre and have no intention of replacing him.
“Mourinho? These rumours are baseless,” he is quoted as saying by Calciomercato. “There are no discussions on the position of our coach. We are happy to have Lucien Favre with us.”
With Dortmund sitting just one point off top spot in the Bundesliga table, it has been a decent start to the campaign for the club although their setback in midweek in the Champions League has piled the pressure on them in their bid to advance from Group F at the expense of either Barcelona or Inter.
Given Mourinho’s experience and track record both in domestic competitions and the Champions League, it’s perhaps easy to see why he would be linked with the job as he could turn their potential and quality into being a genuine contender to win major trophies.
The 56-year-old has been out of management since leaving Manchester United last December, while he has kept himself busy with a string of punditry roles and other promotional work.
However, given his standing in the game and perhaps a desire to repair some of the damage done to his reputation in the latter part of his time at United, he’ll surely be itching to get back into coaching when the right opportunity presents itself.