Soccer: Roma hires fired Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho as new coach

May 4 (UPI) -- Jose Mourinho, who was fired last month from his job as coach of Tottenham Hotspur, will take over as the new manager of AS Roma, the Italian Serie A soccer team announced Tuesday.

Mourinho agreed to a three-year deal to coach the Rome-based franchise. The pact starts in 2021-22 and expires June 30, 2024.

"After meetings with the ownership and [Roma general manager] Tiago Pinto, I immediately understood the full extent of their ambitions for AS Roma," Mourinho said in a news release.

"It is the same ambition and drive that has always motivated me and together we want to build a winning project over the upcoming years. The incredible passion of the Roma fans convinced me to accept the job and I cannot wait to start next season."

Spurs fired Mourinho on April 19. Prior to his tenure at Tottenham, he coached Porto, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Manchester United.

Mourinho was one of the most-decorated coaches on the market. He is one of three managers to earn a Champions League title with two different teams. Mourinho won three Premier League titles at Chelsea and two Serie A titles at Inter Milan.

He won Portugal's Primeira Liga in 2002-03 and 2003-04 while at Porto. Mourinho led Real Madrid to a La Liga title in 2011-12. He was named FIFA World Coach of the Year in 2010.

"When Jose became available, we immediately jumped at the chance to speak with one of the greatest managers of all time," Pinto said.

"We were blown away by Jose's desire to win and his passion for the game: no matter how many trophies he has won, his primary focus is always on the next one. He possesses the knowledge, experience and leadership to compete at all levels."

Roma said Tuesday that manager Paul Fonseca, who took over in 2019, will leave the club at the end of the season later this month.

Inter Milan leads the Serie A standings. Roma sits in seventh place with 17 wins, 11 losses and seven draws.