Jose Mourinho has appeared to distance himself from the Newcastle United job after saying that he is not interested in managing a mid-table team.
Rafa Benitez will leave St James' Park when his contract expires at the end of this month and the Magpies have started to search for the Spaniard's replacement.
There had been a suggestion that Mourinho would be interested in the role but the former Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Porto, Chelsea and Manchester United boss has indicated that he is not interested in the Tyneside vacancy.
Mourinho, who has been without a job since being axed by Manchester United six months ago, said: "The only thing that I know is what I don't want. I am quite pathological in the sense of I have to play to win.
"Then, if I don't win, then that's my problem and the players and the club and the structure but I need a project where the feeling is I play to win.
"If somebody gives me a wonderful 10-year contract and the objective of the team is to stay in the first half of the table and if you finish seventh, eighth or ninth, it's perfect, then that's not for me. That's my nature. My next [position] is to fight to win."
Claudio Ranieri and Giovanni van Bronckhorst have been linked with the Newcastle manager's job.
Newcastle are 5/2 to finish in the top half of the Premier League table in 2019/20 and 12/5 to beat Arsenal on the opening weekend of the season.
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Jose Mourinho has appeared to distance himself from the Newcastle United job after saying that he is not interested in managing a mid-table team.
Rafa Benitez will leave St James' Park when his contract expires at the end of this month and the Magpies have started to search for the Spaniard's replacement.
There had been a suggestion that Mourinho would be interested in the role but the former Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Porto, Chelsea and Manchester United boss has indicated that he is not interested in the Tyneside vacancy.
Mourinho, who has been without a job since being axed by Manchester United six months ago, said: "The only thing that I know is what I don't want. I am quite pathological in the sense of I have to play to win.
"Then, if I don't win, then that's my problem and the players and the club and the structure but I need a project where the feeling is I play to win.
"If somebody gives me a wonderful 10-year contract and the objective of the team is to stay in the first half of the table and if you finish seventh, eighth or ninth, it's perfect, then that's not for me. That's my nature. My next [position] is to fight to win."
Claudio Ranieri and Giovanni van Bronckhorst have been linked with the Newcastle manager's job.
Newcastle are 5/2 to finish in the top half of the Premier League table in 2019/20 and 12/5 to beat Arsenal on the opening weekend of the season.
Source: bet365.com