The search for Chelsea's next manager has taken another twist after club great Jose Mourinho has become one of the legitimate candidates for the job.

He emerged as a contender after major betting activity Friday, with Mourinho rocketing to a 8/1 fifth-favourite with Sky Bet to succeed Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge.

That's a far cry from the odds Mourinho was attracting earlier today, with the 61-year-old as wide as 40/1 as of 10am.

It is also worth noting that Mourinho was as short as a 3/1 second-favourite at one point this afternoon before widening to his current price of 8/1.

Jose Mourinho has been slashed from 40/1 to 8/1 odds to be the next manager of Chelsea

Although the news has come as a significant surprise - there will be many Blues fans who are happy to entertain the idea given Mourinho's past success at the club.

During his tenure in west London - Mourinho guided Chelsea to three Premier League titles, three League Cups and an FA Cup victory between 2004-2007 and 2013-2015.

Therefore, with a young squad who finished their 2023-24 league campaign exceptionally well - could Mourinho be the man to lead them to a trophy next season?

That's unknowable at this stage - however one thing is for certain - Mourinho returning to Chelsea next season would be one of the most intriguing storylines in the Premier League for quite some time.

Enzo Maresca, Roberto De Zerbi, Kieran McKenna and Ruben Amorim round out the four favourites above Mourinho at 5/4, 4/1, 11/2 and 6/1 respectively.

Sky Bet odds for Jose Mourinho to be the next Chelsea manager:

8/1

• All odds are correct at the time of publication