During the last few months of his topsy turvy tenure and Manchester United, Jose Mourinho was subject to a number of rumors surrounding his sacking — Zidane replacing him, players threatening to leave unless he was ousted, the whole Paul Pogba ruckus, etc.
Sacking anyone, either player or manager, before their contract expires usually means a payout is coming. Many thought Manchester United would refuse to sack Mourinho solely because of the costs to do so.
Not only is the club going to have to pay Mourinho, but all of his backroom staffers that lost their jobs as well, although not many departed with Mourinho, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's only appointment came in the form of bringing Mike Phelan back to Old Trafford. Imagine if Michael Carrick got ousted.
It’s obvious that United’s 3-1 loss to Liverpool was enough for Ed Woodward to cut his losses. Thursday, it was revealed Manchester United paid The Special One and his backroom staff a sum of around $25 million dollars.
Definitely not a bad deal for the former manager-turned-pundit. Mourinho was contracted until 2020. Yet even after United’s second-place finish in the Premier League and uninspiring Champions League campaign last season, no one thought Mourinho would finish his contract.
Mourinho isn’t reeling from losing his job in the hot-seat, and Manchester United is shrugging off the payment and Mourinho’s influence. Apart from the monkey wrench driven into United’s Champions League hopes by PSG, United is a much better side than it was before.
To top it off, United’s projected revenue by the end of year is projected to hit anywhere between $787-806 million dollars. To Ed Woodward and company, $25 million is chump change.