Mourinho: No talks with other clubs before final

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Jose Mourinho, the coach of AS Roma, has said he has had “zero contacts with other clubs” and that his team’s Europa League championship is his only priority.

The Giallorossi play Sevilla in the final on Wednesday in Budapest.

The Portuguese coach has one year left on his Roma contract, although Real Madrid, his old club, has been mentioned.

“I have zero contact with other clubs, really,” Mourinho said. “I think about tomorrow and what we want to do, because we want to play.”

Last year, Mourinho led Roma to their fifth European championship and the Europa Conference League triumph.

Despite facing a squad that has won each of its past six Europa League finals, the former Chelsea and Inter Milan manager is still unblemished in European finals.

“History does not play,” Mourinho said. “My colleague [Sevilla coach Jose Luis Mendilibar] thinks differently, I have respect for him. He believes history makes Sevilla favourites; I respect that. We are in the final because we deserve it, they have a history that we don’t have.

“For them playing a Europa League final is a normal thing, for us it is an extraordinary event. For their fans traveling to a final, it’s like going away in the league, for ours it will be unforgettable. The Sevilla players have more experience, but we’ve been playing together for two years.”

Mourinho thinks his group is prepared.

“We played 14 games to get here, we deserve it,” he said. “In the last few days, we have worked to be in a position to fight for the title.”

Paulo Dybala of Roma, who suffered an ankle injury last month, is still hampered by it but still has a chance to play.

The international player from Argentina has eight assists this season along with 16 goals across all competitions.

“Let’s say he has about 30 minutes that he can give us,” Mourinho said.

Coach Mendilibar of Sevilla is entering his first European final, in contrast to Mourinho.

After Jorge Sampaoli was fired, Mendilibar, 62, took over as Sevilla’s manager in March. His contract is up in June.

“This is my first final, unlike my club, the rival and Mourinho,” Mendilibar said. “The team that makes the least mistakes will win. We know how they are going to play and how we are going to play. Our idea is clear, and we are not going to change it.”

Regarding his plans for the upcoming season, he stated: “I’m not worried in the least about my future. I signed a contract until June. I’m calm, I came from unemployment to Sevilla.”

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