Mourinho has expressed his interest in returning to English football to manage a team outside of the top six. He wants to avoid European competition, as he stated last year. He said, "The best thing I can do is move to a club that doesn't participate in UEFA competitions." He added, "A club at the bottom of the English league who needs a coach in two years, I'm ready to go." However, he clarified that he wouldn't be interested in managing a team struggling to avoid relegation.

Mourinho believes that fighting relegation is one of the most challenging tasks for a manager. He said, "It's more difficult than playing for titles. It's emotionally demanding, as it can change people's lives." He thinks it takes a lot of bravery to take on such a challenge. He also mentioned that he's not in the stage of his career where he wants to face such challenges.