It might seem a little odd considering the course, but Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho of Portugal claims there are too many foreign managers in the Premier League.

He feels more British managers should be given a chance to prove themselves and adds that perhaps they should go abroad to get experience. Of course, the problem is that no overseas clubs are going to want to gamble on an unproven manager, let alone an English one.

Mourinho stated,

“In this moment in the Premier League - and I'm speaking against myself - I disagree with so many foreign coaches in this country. I don't see a reason for that because I don't feel the English managers are in any point behind the foreign ones. But I think if there are no jobs in the country as a manager or a player then you have to go abroad because this is a short professional life. So go and enjoy. You always have the chance to come back as a manager and a player.”

Mourinho’s probably right when he says English managers aren’t behind foreign ones, but most English managers in the Premier League are usually saddled with weak or mediocre teams. This means we usually don’t see any of them winning trophies and league titles and they never get the chance to manage a big club. There are nine non-British and Irish managers in the Premier League at the moment with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer being hired this week to take over from the sacked Malky Mackay.

When the Premier League kicked off back in 1992 there were no foreign managers. There may soon be 10 from overseas as reports say West Brom may hire Jose Luis Mendilibar of Spain to take over for the sacked Steve Clarke of Scotland.

Mourinho said many of the foreign Premier League managers are top quality and they deserve their jobs, but revelaed, “I just feel sorry that in a football country like England, that is the country of so many managers, British managers are not getting enough jobs in this country.”

He added that Britain can learn from other cultures, but the main culture in British football should still be British. The Chelsea boss pointed to Derby County manager Steve McClaren as somebody who went abroad to gain experience and work. But as I mentioned, if you were the owner of an overseas football club would you hire the likes of a Sam Allardyce?