Three seasons ago Jose Mourinho had just completed one of the hardest feats of the modern game- surprising the world after helping Portuguese club FC Porto win the Champions League; today he is without a job. Despite winning two Premier League titles, two Carling Cup trophies and an FA Cup trophy in his time with Chelsea Football Club, there was always speculation that Mourinho would leave one way or another eventually- his relationship with Abramovich was rocky, to say the least. Although Mourinho had won the trophies Abramovich craved, he did not do it in the style the owner wanted. Envious eyes were cast over London neighbours Arsenal after their glorious unbeaten season, but it seemed that Abramovich was happy to allow Mourinho to stay at the helm as long as the trophies came in- although those close to the Russian businessman hinted that he wanted the Champions League most of all.

After the sensational news emerged last night that Mourinho had left the club by mutual consent, many football fans were not surprised. It seemed as if this moment had been coming for quite some time, ever since Abramovich apparently refused the signing of Israeli defender Tal Ben Haim in January- a decision that may well have cost them the title. Since then, it appears that Abramovich’s extravagant transfer spending has ended, with Chelsea’s sole big buy in this transfer window being Florent Malouda from Lyon for around £13.5 million. The club were in for Daniel Alves, but Abramovich refused to shell out the fee that Sevilla wanted- meaning that Mourinho got Barcelona fringe player Julio Belletti instead; hardly a like-for-like swap.

 Throughout his time in England, Mourinho had always been a figure that brought out people’s opinions. His ways were different to that of established duo Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, and he quickly brought both success and controversy with him. Famously announcing that he was the ‘Special One’ upon his arrival in England, Mourinho was a godsend for press reporters, as nearly every week they would be gifted with a new set of provocative quotes. Although many fans of other clubs will be happy to see Mourinho leave, it cannot be denied that the Premiership is worse off as a whole without him in it. He may not even be leaving the Premiership if the media is to be believed- some cheekily linking him with the job at White Hart Lane.

Now that Mourinho has gone, Chelsea will have to make sure that this does not derail their season. Already having slipped up in the Premiership and Champions League, the club will have to make sure they get in a replacement as soon as possible. Mourinho’s previous assistant Steve Clarke and Portsmouth’s director of football Avram Grant are currently in charge on a caretaker basis, but with the many talented managers available and Abramovich’s seemingly unlimited pockets, it is unlikely that they will be without a manager for long. Quite a few names have been linked to the now-vacant post at Chelsea; whether those managers will be able to do an as good job as Mourinho did is open to debate. Ex-Real Madrid manager Fabio Capelllo’s name has been heavily linked as he is currently without a job, while the names of current Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard, current AC Milan manager Carlo Ancellotti and Tottenham Hotspur manager Martin Jol keep cropping up in the press. Whatever happens, Chelsea & Abramovich must decide what they want to do quickly- they cannot afford too many more slipups, especially in the Premiership.

Jason Pereira

Posted on September 21st, 2007 |
Filed under: Chelsea, England, Mourinho, Premiership, football