What was the first thing that came to mind when the stories surfaced this week that Jose Mourinho, with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, was craving a return to the Premier League at the same time — purely coincidental, of course — Unai Emery might be straying dangerously close to becoming another managerial statistic?



Perhaps, if you were anything like me, you might have been consumed by the jarring predictability of what is, by now, a familiar routine when it comes to a high-profile manager seeking work and the possibility of an attractive job suddenly, and conveniently, becoming available.



First there is the planted story that Mourinho has made it his ambition to win a major trophy with a third Premier League club and, well, join the dots about who that could possibly mean. Then there is the press release from one of the more publicity-ravenous bookmakers announcing the odds on Mourinho replacing Emery have been slashed. Sky’s rolling sports...