Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte and the slow decline of football’s star managers

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery Mourinho signed his Fenerbache contract at Wembley and during the Champions League final A couple of months ago, Jurgen Klopp reflected: “The dinosaurs if you want, Ancelotti, Mourinho, Guardiola, maybe me, we will not do it for the next 20 years; okay, maybe Mourinho.” Which, if insightful, was both damning and deceptive. Mourinho and Antonio Conte will both return to management this week, the latter with Napoli, each after being overlooked elsewhere by clubs who plumped for less decorated managers. Until Simone Inzaghi this year, they were Inter’s last two Serie A-winning managers; along with Ancelotti, they are two of the trio to make Chelsea Premier League champions. open image in gallery Mourinho was unveiled in front of a full Fenerbache stadium But Turkish clubs are infamously willing to sign anyone who has played for the Premier League’s big six; Mourinho has managed three of them.