Jose Mourinho is reportedly set for a return to England this summer - but TEAMtalk's Simon Wilkes feels the time is not right for his comeback.

On Saturday night I was putting the finishes touches to the Primera Liga review for TEAMtalk, leading on the fact that Mourinho's Real Madrid had powered seven points clear of arch rivals Barcelona at the summit.

The 'Special One' has struggled to get the better of Pep Guardiola in this season's 'El Clasico' showdowns, losing their Copa del Rey quarter-final 4-3 on aggregrate.

But the Portuguese mastermind seems set to have the last laugh in La Liga and erase the memories of a 3-1 league defeat on home turf by prising the Spanish crown from the defending champions' grasp.

Despite their position of strength, all is not well at the Bernabeu, with Mourinho having locked horns with the likes of Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas and responding to boos from Real fans following a 4-1 win over Athletic Bilbao with an emphatic and dismissive: "Am I bothered?"

The boo-boys may not bother him - but the politics and power struggles at the Bernabeu certainly do.

Sunday reports would lead you to believe he wants to quit his Spanish "project" and return to English shores - and he is not short of suitors.

But the foundations to these latest rumours are weak in my opinion, as just before the turn of the new year, Mourinho was quoted as saying: "I'm very happy and enormously proud to be coach of Real Madrid and I don't see the moment when I'm going to leave nor do I want to leave."

SkyBet have made him 2/1 to take the reins at the Etihad Stadium in the summer, if Roberto Mancini fails to get Premier League leaders City across the finishing line, but even if he adds La Liga to his long list of divisional domination, I don't believe the time is right for his return this summer.

Mourinho, who signed an initial four-year deal when becoming Madrid coach in 2010, admitted recently that he could well be back in the English top flight in a 'couple of years', adding cagily: "You don't translate 'a couple of years' literally, it's an English expression to mean a few years, not exactly two. It could be two, three, four, 20, you never know."

The English footballing landscape will be vastly different in a 'few years' time' - and that will be the perfect time for him to return.

Mourinho admits he is only "midway through" his Madrid project and feels "the best years of this generation are still to come".

With the likes of Mesut Ozil, Fabio Coentrao, Karim Benzema, Angel Di Maria and Cristiano Ronaldo in Real's armoury, it's hard to argue with that assessment.

But there are also ongoing 'projects' underway at both City and Chelsea, who despite much media bluster are unlikely to divert from their path of backing Mancini and new kid on the block Andre Villas-Boas in the coming years.

Liverpool are listed in the betting as a 12/1 chance to be his next destination, but although the Reds have the history, they are unlikely to have either the financial muscle or Champions League status to lure Mourinho to Anfield.

Old Trafford has often been seen as his natural next step, with the Setubal-born 49-year-old widely regarded as the only coach in world football who could possibly fill Sir Alex Ferguson's boots when the legendary Scot retires from the Manchester United hot-seat.

Mourinho's CV certainly stands up to scrutiny for the job: Two Primeira Liga titles, a Champions League and UEFA Cup trophy with FC Porto; two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups with Chelsea; two Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia and one Champions League trophy with Inter Milan; one Copa del Rey trophy with Real, with a likely coronation to the Spanish footballing throne at the end of this season.

But there are snags to the United theory, too, as it seems Fergie has lost none of his voracious appetite for the game despite turning 70, with the fresh challenge posed by United's 'noisy neighbours' having re-stoked the fire in his ageing belly.

Having signed Phil Jones and Ashley Young last summer, and brought England young gun Danny Welbeck back into the first-team fold, Ferguson is clearly planning for the future at Old Trafford, adding: "I just don't think about retirement any more."

There is no doubt Mourinho would bring a more technical approach to the backroom team and training pitch, but Ferguson is not being left behind, revealing: "As the game has changed, I have had to change with it. For example, sports science in the last decade has seen a phenomenal improvement and that has become a major development in the game."

That's not the talk of a man standing still despite 25 years in charge, and although Mourinho is rightly regarded as his long-term successor, Ferguson would not be able to sleep at night if the Premier League trophy is sitting alongside last season's FA Cup in City's silverware cabinet this summer.

So that leaves London.

I'm dismissing Chelsea as an option as I can't see Roman Abramovich seeking to patch up a relationship that ended so sourly in 2008.

Arsenal are having a hugely frustrating season under Arsene Wenger, but their support for the Frenchman is unequivocal and with talismanic captain Robin van Persie tipped to leave The Emirates this summer, it's hard to build a case for Mourinho taking the Gunners reins.

So we must turn to Tottenham, who just like Real have a squad who arguably have the best years ahead of them - and one which could achieve a top-four spot and Champions League football for many years to come.

In Gareth Bale and Luka Modric they have two of the most sought-after players in world football, in Scott Parker they have a midfield general Mourinho admires and in Emmanuel Adebayor they have a frontman he has worked with having lured him to Real for a loan spell last season.

More importantly Spurs have a manager who has one eye on the England job - and in Daniel Levy a chairman with deep enough pockets to satisfy Mourinho's penchant for splashing the cash.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has often reiterated that he would find it "difficult to turn down" the opportunity to manage England, who will be searching for a successor when Fabio Capello steps down after the Euro 2012 finals.

Although Redknapp knows he would be bored during the long breaks between international matches, he admitted: "I've always said it's the pinnacle for any Englishman to manage their country.

"If it came along, it would be difficult to turn it down for any Englishman."

Whether this summer is the right time for Redknapp to be replaced remains to be seen - and much will depend on what unfolds at the FA's headquarters.

But whenever Mourinho does return to these shores he will be welcomed with open arms by fans and pundits alike - and I can't wait to see which 'project management' path he chooses.