Jose Mourinho certainly likes to make an impression when he signs on the dotted line for a new football club.
He has never made a quiet arrival and he’s certainly not set to change the habit of a lifetime any time soon.
After a torrid spell with Tottenham which appears to have significantly lessened his stock in European football, Mourinho wasted no time before taking up AS Roma’s offer to lead them into a new era.
Jose Mourinho has a number of different issues to solve as he takes over as Roma manager
The Portuguese took the top job in the Italian capital days after being sacked from Tottenham
It is almost the stuff of myth; the vanquished ‘Special One’ reappears in Italy – this time in the Eternal City itself – to right a few wrongs and re-establish himself as one of the finest managers in world football.
Many people would not put it past Mourinho returning to his best and helping Roma become a leading European powerhouse, yet much work needs to be done.
Boxes have to be ticked and a checklist must be completed. It’s a long road ahead for Mourinho, and Sportsmail takes a look at some of his more pressing items…
Crunch talks with Mkhitaryan
This could be an awkward one.
A few years ago, after landing the main Manchester United role he had always craved, Mourinho was quick to put his stamp on the team and begin ringing the changes.
Forever Mr confident and self-assured, Mourinho had no issue in telling certain players they would be surplus to his plans from day one.
One such player happened to be Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who was politely informed he would have to start making fresh plans for the future.
As it happened, the Armenian star secured a switch to Arsenal as part of the infamous swap deal with saw Alexis Sanchez arrive at Old Trafford.
Mourinho sold Henrikh Mkhitaryan at Manchester Utd in exchange for Alexis Sanchez
Mourinho had been ruthless in his verdict of Mkhitaryan, though did later admit: ‘I believe Mkhi is going to be even better than he was with us.
‘With one and a half years in England, adapted, who knows, Arsenal play the way they think, I think is a good move for everybody, that’s why I’m also happy for Mkhi.’
‘Could he perform better with us, could I take more from his talent, maybe, could he give a little more also to adapt to us, maybe but I don’t think regrets, he’s in our history.’
Things would not work out for Mkhitaryan until he later secured a loan move to Roma, which was made permanent and began his new home.
Mkhitaryan told reporters in the Italian capital: ‘Once Mourinho saw me at breakfast and said to me: “Because of you, the press criticises me.”
The Armenian will now be reunited with Mourinho and it’ll be fascinating to see how it works
‘He’s a winner by nature. He wants you to win and you do what he asks you.
‘It’s difficult for anyone. There have been differences and conflicts, but they have not had a strong impact on good work and the three trophies won.’
Now, of course, the pair will be reunited once again and both parties will be keen to learn the opinion of the other.
Mkhitaryan has enjoyed a solid transition to Italian football, but the arrival of a certain Portuguese boss could soon impact this. Oh to be a fly on the wall when that meeting takes place.
Moving on the deadwood
One thing which would have been made clear to Mourinho when he took the role was that Roma are not renowned for their free-spending abilities.
As he found himself at Spurs, Mourinho is likely to be set the task of improving his side while also balancing the books.
Ultimately this always comes down to one thing; deciding which players to move on.
Ruthless and very often cold decisions have to be made, in order for clubs to recoup money in both transfer fees and saved wage bills, which may otherwise become a drain on resources.
Mourinho must make some swift calls this summer on the likes of striker Edin Dzeko
Mourinho has some talented stars in his ranks, including Pedro – who he previously worked with at Chelsea, and Edin Dzeko – who he has admired from afar for a long time during his Premier League years.
Former Newcastle full-back Davide Santon is one of the many players at the club entering the latter years of their career, with their current role very much uncertain.
Mourinho needs to make swift calls regarding who can be of use to him, and who must make summer departures in order to best benefit the club.
At present the collective Roma squad is valued at around £335million, according to Transfermarkt. For Mourinho, this figure will need to rise in order to indicate the influx of more capable and potential-laden personnel.
Former Chelsea winger Pedro is another player entering the twilight of his career at Roma
Lining up Rui Patricio
Veteran stopper Patricio looked like his Wolves spot could have come under threat last season, but now he is excelling in the limelight of Euro 2020.
Mourinho already has two goalkeepers at his disposal in the form of Pau Lopez and Daniel Fuzato.
The current uncertainty surrounding Wolves as a whole could play into the hands of Roma, who are said to be readying a bid.
Patricio is currently strutting his stuff in the European Championships and was a huge factor behind Portugal coming out unscathed against favourites France to progress to the next round.
It has been widely reported that Mourinho want’s Portugal No 1 Rui Patricio as his next keeper
Identifying his enforcer
At every club Mourinho has managed, he seems to have a strong affinity with a robust, no-nonsense sort of player.
At Inter Milan he had Marco Materazzi, while in Manchester he regularly shocked the football world with the questionable selection of Marouane Fellaini.
At the likes of Real Madrid the Portuguese boss had Sergio Ramos battling with his heart on his sleeve, and later Mourinho would opt to recruit Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Old Trafford for similar reasons.
At Roma, defender Gianluca Mancini is the sort of player who has a little bit of bite about him, though Mourinho may yet turn to the market in order to bring in more players with similar characteristics.
Mourinho usually has a strong enforcer in his team, such as Marouane Fellaini (pictured)
Promoting youth?
This has always been a bone of contention when it comes to Mourinho.
In the past, much has been made of the Portuguese coming into football clubs and restricting the development of youth talent.
Bringing players through was, supposedly, not Mourinho’s forte.
One infamous press conference springs to mind, during which Mourinho was ready for a question regarding his record with young starlets, and came armed with a comprehensive response.
It was the first time Mourinho had greeted the media as United manager in 2016, and he was perfectly aware he was going to be quizzed on his policy of player development.
Nicolo Zaniolo has already talked up his excitement at the prospect of working with Mourinho
An unimpressed Mourinho had replied: ‘I have no time to answer it. To answer it would take 10 minutes. I knew that was coming.
‘You know how many young players I promote to the first team from academies? 49.
‘Do you want to know who they are? I can give you that. I promote 49 players from the academies from the clubs and with two factors, sometimes you promote players because you don’t have another chance because you have so many injuries.’
He then went on to produce a list and reeled off each of the young players he had handed a maiden appearance to throughout his career.
Now, in the Italian capital, Mourinho will perhaps have little choice but to come good on this.
Roma need to be savvy with how they operate, and it is no secret that the option to blow the likes of Juventus out of the water with huge transfer bids simply does not exist.
In 20-year-old Gambian starlet Ebrima Darboe, Roma have one of Serie A’s most exciting gems
Mourinho certainly has some unpolished gems at his disposal, such as 20-year-old Gambian starlet Ebrima Darboe. Big things are expected of the silky midfielder, and it will be on Mourinho’s watch that his Roma progress is a hit or miss.
Likewise, the exciting Nicolo Zaniolo, 21, has already talked up his excitement of working with the iconic boss. Now Mourinho needs to come good on his previous insistence that youngsters will always have a place in his side, if they work hard enough.