Mourinho takes Spurs to West Ham tomorrow. His first Premier League match at home comes the following Saturday, when he welcomes Bournemouth. Eddie Howe is already looking forward to that one. “You always welcome the best back into the league, it makes the league better. I was as surprised as everybody else watching from afar, but Jose is an unbelievable manager and it’s great he’s back. It’s not ideal timing for us to go to Tottenham, but it is what it is, and we’ll relish that challenge. For me he’s one of the all-time greats and he’s certainly got a lot more to give.” (Non-Jose-related aside: Bournemouth host Wolves tomorrow.)
We should stress that other Tottenham Hotspur nightwear is available. Forty quid for a special onesie. Twenty-five bar for cockerel-splattered moccasin slippers. A “waffle robe”; that sounds right up Jose’s alley. They’ll be flying off the shelves. This’ll pay for Mourinho’s £13m-a-year contract in no time.
Where else to start but here? So many questions. Can Wilfried Zaha prosper against depleted leaders Liverpool? Will Teemu Pukki prosper at Goodison Park? Is there any chance of Chelsea upsetting Manchester City? All this and more. Clickity click, be about your business. And enjoy!
Preamble
Morning everyone, and welcome to the Friday football blog. The Premier League returns tomorrow after a fortnight’s hiatus. Jose Mourinho’s back, too, after 11 months away. God we’ve missed the Premier League.
Anyway, all the latest news and views to come. Plus the thunderingly underwhelming draw for the Euro 2020 qualification play-offs. That’s happening at 11am GMT. Counting down the minutes already. OK, let’s go.
