Jose Mourinho's Son Jose Mario Reportedly Signs with Chelsea Rivals Fulham
Jose Mario Mourinho Jr., the son of current Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, recently completed a successful trial with Fulham and will sign with the Cottagers to continue his youth career.
James Andrew of the Daily Mail reports the 14-year-old goalkeeper previously played with the Canillas team at Real Madrid while his father was managing the Blancos. But now he'll join a rival program, at least for the next year.
"The contract is for one season because that is the longest a player of his age is allowed to sign when playing abroad.
The young Mourinho will hope to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather Jose Manuel Mourinho Felix who also played as a keeper and won one cap for Portugal in the 1970s.
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Although the younger Mourinho is still several years away from making an impact at the senior level, his reported signing adds a unique layer to the rivalry between Chelsea and Fulham.
The London rivals are off to vastly different starts to the new Premier League campaign. Chelsea sit in second place after two victories and a road draw with Manchester United. Meanwhile, Fulham are near the bottom of the table with just three points in three matches.
Yet, much like Mourinho Jr.'s career, it's still early. And anything that can add a little more intrigue to the rivalry, even something as small as a youth signing, makes things more interesting.
The Fulham supporters will probably come up with some chants to remind the Chelsea boss where his son is playing when the Blues visit Craven Cottage later in the campaign.
Beyond that, it all comes down to opportunity for the younger Mourinho. He must have liked his experience during the trial run with Fulham and believed it was the best option for him to keep making progress in his budding career.
After a year, he can decide what the next step should be. It certainly wouldn't be a surprise to see him play in the Chelsea system at some point, as long as the elder Mourinho remains manager.
As for now, however, he'll continue his development with Chelsea's rivals at Fulham.
