Can Jose Mourinho Save Serie A?

With Kaka’s departure to Real Madrid and the retirements of greats Luis Figo, Paolo Maldini, and Pavel Nedved the biggest star left in Serie A is arguably Inter manager Jose Mourinho.

With so many questions arising about the domestic game in Italy at the moment Mourinho may be the man to help restore faith in Serie A by bringing star power, and more importantly, results in the Champions League.

Since AC Milan beat Liverpool in the 2007 final, no Italian side has advanced beyond the quarterfinals of the Europe’s premier club competition, and last season none of the Serie A outfits made it out of the last 16.

Inter could see themselves as a tad unlucky by drawing Manchester United, there is no question that Mourinho dug his own grave by finishing second in a group featuring Panathinaikos, Werder Bremen, and Anorthosis.

After brushing aside the Champions League failure, the former Porto boss turned his attention to helping Inter win their fourth straight Scudetti, a feat he accomplished with out much fight downn the stretch of Milan and Juventus.

Inter’s runaway title may perhaps say more about the clubs chasing Mourinho than the one he manages, but there is no question “The Special One” and club President Massimo Moratti are in the process of building a squad poised to win next season’s Champions League.

Plenty of rumors are swirling around the San Siro, but it has been confirmed that Moratti has obtained Genoa duo Diego Milito and Thiago Motta, while sending the aging Hernan Crespo in the other way in return.

Milito brings a fine scoring record with him to Inter, including 24 Serie A goals last season. Motta will add depth to Inter’s already strong midfield.

Although Milito would make an ideal strike partner for Sweden international Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the former Juventus star has been discussing a move away from Italy all season, stating: "I have a contract with Inter, but at the same time I would like to try something new because I have been in Italy for five years."

Ibra supposedly has his sights set on Barcelona, but Mourinho is hopeful of keeping him.

Should Ibrahimovic stay, Inter will still look to add squad depth, but if not, a big name such as Samuel Eto’o could be signed to help Milito and the young Mario Balotelli  in attack. It has also been reported that Inter are going to bid £25 million on Arsenal striker Robin van Persie.

It may not be the worst thing for Zlatan to leave the San Siro, for all of his talk of seeking European glory, Ibra has a very poor record in the Champions League. Ibra also brings plenty of baggage to the table, exemplified by his run in with Inter fans this season.

Manchester City midfielder Elano has also stated his desire to move to Inter, and Mourinho is eager to have Chelsea players Deco and Ricardo Cavarlho under his tutelage again. Even Sampdoria forward Antonio Cassano has been linked with the club.

If Inter can manage to keep Ibrahimovic, or replace him with another striker of his quality, Mourinho will like his chances to progress further in the Champions League next season, especially with the improvements already made to the squad.

Mourinho is certainly ready to bring in star players, something that would be important not only for his team, but for the image of Serie A.