If Jose Mourinho doesn’t chomp on their generously baited hook first

Reports from Italy are claiming that Inter have offered World’s Number One Ladies Detective unemployed manager Jose Mourinho a place to hang his expensive raincoat next season, and have placed a piece of paper upon a four-legged item of furniture agreeing to compensate him handsomely for the inconvenience. The sum involved is said to be £4 million a year for the next four years.

There is, however, an obstacle. Inter have a couple of chaps by the name of Mr Branca and Mr Oriali who make all the decisions about who to sign, who to sell, how much to pay them, and so forth, decisions which Jose Mourinho is likely to want to make himself, having personally experienced the burning humiliation of having unwanted players foisted upon him before. Mr Branca and Mr Oriali are good friends of Inter owner Massimo Moratti.

Should the Mourinho project flounder, the name Rafa Benitez is next on the list. It can’t have escaped Mr Moratti’s attention that while Rafa’s owners are still making up their minds as to whether they like him or not, he has probably reached a fairly firm opinion about them, and may be inclined to let another employer whisper in his ear.

As to the issue of Inter already having a manager, Roberto Mancini, this is not believed to be a problem. A story in the Spanish daily Sport this morning claimed that Moratti had wanted to ditch Mancini immediately after losing at home to Juventus at the weekend, and had to be talked out of it by Esteban Cambiasso, Marco Materazzi and Javier Zanetti. Inter are still top of Serie A but are shedding points like dandruff. In the last seven weeks they have seen their lead over second placed Roma cut to four points from 11. During that spell, 11 teams have accumulated more points than Inter, hence Mr Moratti’s panic and fury.