Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho 'deserves a chance' - Avram Grant

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho should be given time to turn his poor season around, according to former Blues boss Avram Grant.

Grant, who took charge of Chelsea between 2007-08 and led the side to second place in the Premier League and the finals of the Champions League and League Cup, insists the club have struggled under the media spotlight this season.

Chelsea won the Premier League title last season but are 14th currently -- 12 points away from the top four -- after a dreadful start, and Grant thinks that owner Roman Abramovich should keep faith with his most successful manager.

"It is not easy, but I think Jose deserves a chance," he told Sky Sports News. "I didn't like when they [the media] made him the genius, and I don't like what they are doing to Jose now, saying 'He is useless' or something.

"It is not like this, it is too extreme. He is a good coach but, like any other person, he is facing tough times.

"He needs to show he can handle pressure but don't judge him only by the quality of his interviews when he is under pressure. He is a good coach, a nice guy, and he can get out of it, for sure."

Chelsea have lost seven of their 14 games in the league so far, but Grant claims their problems may stem from complacency after last season's title success.

"They need to stop living in the past and saying last season was like this and this," he added. "Because then you could also say that two seasons ago was not so great.

"Last season was great for Chelsea, winning the league title, but now they need to see what is the problem, why are top players not performing like they need to play, why the team is not performing like they need to, and find a solution.

"The quality is there, the talent is there. There is no doubt about this."

Jose Mourinho may regret dropping Chelsea striker Diego Costa, says Paul Merson

Jose Mourinho needs Diego Costa more than the Chelsea striker needs him, says Paul Merson.

Costa was dropped to the bench for Chelsea's 0-0 draw at White Hart Lane and made his displeasure clear, flinging his bib at Mourinho towards the end of the game after a brief warm up.

Mourinho denied suggestions of a rift with the 27-year-old but, after Costa had found the net for the first time in seven games for club and country in his previous Premier League outing against Norwich, Merson feels the Chelsea boss was wrong to sideline his best forward. 

While Costa has only scored three times in the Premier League so far this season, he was the club's top scorer in 2014/15 and Merson says 14th-placed Chelsea need him in the side to continue climbing the table after their nightmare start to the campaign. 

Merson told Sky Sports: "Mourinho needs Costa more than Costa needs Mourinho, especially with no other strikers scoring goals at the club right now.

"You don't throw your bib at somebody if you like them and there's clearly a problem there.

"Costa's goal against Norwich was a huge one and Mourinho's left himself in a tough situation by dropping him after that.

"Don't get me wrong, Costa hasn't been great and they did well at Tottenham without him, but you can't play like that all season, teams will find a way to stop them."

Merson does, however, expect Costa to be recalled next weekend as Chelsea host Bournemouth on Saturday Night Football.

He added: "Bournemouth is a nice game to bring him back for and certainly not the sort of game which you'd go into without a big striker."

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho keen on Dani Alves transfer from Barcelona – report

Jose Mourinho is keen to bring Dani Alves to Chelsea in the January transfer window, according to reports.

The Blues are thought to be assessing the defensive options available to them after conceding 12 goals in their first six games, although they did keep their first clean sheet of the season against Arsenal on Saturday.

According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, though, Mourinho intends to bring Alves to Stamford Bridge, and could be mulling over a £14.5million bid for the Brazilian right-back, who registered a remarkable 12 assists in all competitions last season.

Chelsea are also believed to be interested in Valencia left-back Jose Luis Gaya, but may well be put off by his £36.1m release clause.

Eva Carneiro: Chelsea doctor leaves after Jose Mourinho row

Chelsea doctor Eva Carneiro has decided to leave the club - six weeks after criticism from manager Jose Mourinho.

Carneiro had her role reduced after Mourinho told off his medical staff for treating Eden Hazard during the 2-2 draw with Swansea on 8 August.

Chelsea asked Carneiro to return to work but she has decided not to.

The Football Association, who look after football in England, is looking into a complaint that Mourinho used abusive or sexist language towards her.

Chelsea say they do not comment on staffing matters.

Eva Carneiro and head physio Jon Fearn went onto the pitch to treat midfielder Hazard in the closing stages of the draw with Swansea.

It meant the Blues were down to nine men, with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois having been sent off, and Mourinho said the duo had not thought about the situation properly.

Carneiro lost her place on the bench and was no longer allowed to attend matches or training sessions.

Two days after the incident, she posted a message on Facebook thanking the public for their "overwhelming support".

Mourinho stood by his decision to remove her from her role, adding he had a "good relationship" with his medical staff.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho in Guinness Book of Records - along with WHO?!

We're not surprised CR7, Mourinho and Frank Lampard make the grade - we're very surprised about this inclusion, however.

Cristiano and Jose are joined by a rather odd record holder...

If we were to tell you that Cristiano Ronaldo, Jose Mourinho and Frank Lampard have all broken records in the world of football, we doubt you'd be all that shocked.

CR7 is one of the greatest footballers who's ever lived, Lampard is a Chelsea legend and Jose is the most formidable manager on the surface of the earth right now. Their recent inclusion in the Guinness Book of Records seems more of a formality than anything.

Their records are impressive, of course - Ronaldo has the accolade for La Liga hat-tricks (27), Lampard for scoring against the most Premier League opponents (39) and Jose for most points in a Premier League season (95), most Champions Leagues won at different clubs (2), youngest manager to reach 100 Champions League games (at 49 years 12 days) and most home games unbeaten in the Premier League (77).

However, that's not what's drawn our attention to the list of football's record breakers. What's really caught our eye is an odd and unexpected inclusion. It's a player rarely talked about in the same breath as his fellow high achievers.

Believe it or not, the other big name to be included in the Guinness Book of Records is... Chris Smalling!

Smalling is a record breaker, apparently...

That's right. The occasionally clumsy Manchester United centre-back joins CR7, Jose and Super Frank - he's definitely the odd one out here.

To be fair, his two records are rather less exciting than theirs. He scored the fastest goal in the Premier League by a substitute from kick-off, a strike against Burnley after five minutes and nine seconds last season. He scored again in the same match to bag himself the accolade of most goals in the Premier League scored by a substitute in the first half. They're quite niche achievements.

Jose Mourinho made pleading phone call to lure Paul Pogba to Chelsea

JOSE MOURINHO personally called Paul Pogba in an attempt to force through a deal, according to reports.

Chelsea were chasing the midfielder all summer and had tabled an offer of £62million plus an additional player.

Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Pogba had already ironed out an £8.7m-a-year contract with the club courtesy of super agent Mino Raiola.

And now new claims by French newspaper L'Equipe suggest Mourinho personally called the France international last month to help pave the way for a deal.

The report adds the Premier League giants were fearful of Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain jeopardising their deal for the 22-year-old.

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Jose Mourinho reportedly called Paul Pogba to help finalise a deal

However, Juventus were resolute in preliminary talks with the Blues, telling them the midfielder was not for sale as he was 'priceless'.

Pogba is also believed to have been hesitant about making the switch to south-west London so close to Euro 2016.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has confidence in Asmir Begovic

Asmir Begovic will start against Manchester City for Chelsea

Jose Mourinho says he has confidence in back-up goalkeeper Asmir Begovic to perform at Manchester City on Sunday and denied suggestions that Chelsea will miss Petr Cech.

The 33-year-old Czech Republic international left Stamford Bridge after 11 years during the summer to join Arsenal after playing second fiddle to Thibaut Courtois last term.

Courtois' sending off in Saturday's stuttering 2-2 home draw with Swansealed to the introduction of summer signing Begovic, with the former Stoke goalkeeper now set for his full debut at title rivals City on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.

"We don't miss Petr," Mourinho said. "We've got a good keeper, the problem with Petr is not that we miss him because we have two excellent keepers.

Petr Cech of Arsenal fails to punch clear as Cheikhou Kouyate heads home

"The problem with Petr is that an opponent is better than before.

"Thibaut and Asmir are two fantastic keepers. My club did very well by getting a keeper on time and not on the August 31.

"If my club gives me a keeper on August 31, then we have a problem not just for today but also for the next match. Unless the people understand that it's not a red card and they clear the suspension."

Courtois will serve a one-match ban at the Etihad after being sent off for bringing down Bafetimbi Gomis, providing the Frenchman a chance from the penalty spot which he took.

Speaking on Saturday Night Football Jamie Redknapp felt the decision was harsh and Mourinho was clearly angered by the dismissal saying, "I expect the referees to do their job well, that's what I expect".

He also rejected the notion the Blues have started the season slowly, having also lost to Arsenal in the Community Shield.

There were some promising signs in the first half on Saturday, with Diego Costa an imposing presence having overcome a reoccurring hamstring issue to start.

"He did very well, and again the second half is very difficult because it was a big difference - one player less and a lot of effort and even so I was not expecting him to resist for 90 minutes," Mourinho said.

"But because we wanted to try to get a goal we went with him until the end and it was very important and new for us that he played for 90 minutes with such a physical performance.

"He is happy with the reaction. He is okay, happy, he is very happy and with the reaction with his body after such a hard game."

Watch Manchester City v Chelsea live on Sky Sports 1 HD on Super Sunday from 3.30pm.

Chelsea Transfer News: £17.5m deal close, Stones latest, international striker decision

Baba Rahman looks set to finalise his move to Chelsea after the Blues submitted an improved £17.5m bid.

According to the Guardian, the left-back will replace Flipe Luis despite an initial £14m bid being rejected by Augsburg.

Rahman's agent, Sascha Empacher, said: "Both clubs are still working on fine-tuning but we hope the agreement will be finalised soon."

The Ghana international only joined Augsburg last summer for £1m but had a stellar season in the Bundesliga.

The German side will replace Rahman with Karlsruhe defender Philipp Max, according to reports in Ghana.

Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho refused to be drawn any further on the John Stones saga.

The Everton defender has been subject to two bids from Chelsea so far, but after Roberto Martinez hit out at the speculation saying that Stones is "an Everton player full stop", Mourinho has gone quiet.

When questioned on Stones, the Portuguese tactician said in his press conference ahead of tomorrow's Community Shield: "I don't speak about players from other clubs."

In terms of players staying at Stamford Bridge, Loic Remy has confirmed his intention to remain part of the Blues' squad.

The former QPR man has been linked with Crystal Palace and West Ham this summer, but he is now keen to prove himself at Chelsea.

He said: "I want to bring everything I can to the team and I just want to do more as I think this season will be more difficult than the previous one.

"So, all the players must be better than last season and I just want to be better, play more and score more."

However, the Frenchman still has Diego Costa, and possibly Radamel Falcao ahead of him in the pecking order.

Mourinho told the Mirror: We have three top strikers. If one is injured we have two. No concerns, no protections. It’s a position where we’re very strong.

“I believe Costa is injury free, and I’m not worried about it. I go match after match. Fantastic group of strikers. So no problem.

“Falcao is ready. I like him a lot as a player. I think the team plays very well with a striker of his quality.

“It’s not just a guy who can score a goal, he is always a threat and is a guy who contributes a lot to the quality of the game.

“I’m very happy with his first week. At the start, I just worry that he adapts and that he is happy, we are happy with him and he performs and they give us what we want. To become again a super scorer, let’s see what happens.

“I was not expecting him to come here, play against Barcelona and score three goals. I was waiting for his determination to work, to be part of the team, to understand the way we play football and I am happy with that.

“Don’t forget Remy, because I am very happy with Remy, really happy with Remy. We could use two strikers, we did against Barcelona, for the last 20 minutes we played Remy and Falcao.”

Jose Mourinho brilliantly hits back at Rafa Benitez insults

The two of them were fierce rivals between 2004 and 2007 in the Premier League, facing each other in a few extremely memorable and controversial encounters. Here’s a look back at their most famous run ins. Mourinho complained about Luis Garcia’s “ghost goal” robbing him of glory. The Spaniard’s controversial strike saw Liverpool eliminate Chelsea at the Champions League semi-final stage.

Benitez hasn’t been on the receiving end of a Mourinho burn for quite some time, so he probably is now wishing his wife didn’t open this particular can of worms.

So Mrs Benitez became the latest in a long line of people to discover that, with the Portuguese, you should not dish it out if you can’t take it. “The best team lost”.

“How do you say cheating in Catalan?” “I like football. I understand football, so for this, I only speak about football”. They won matches and were exciting to watch. Barcelona and Milan too.

“‘I’m not a hypocrite”.

We can only presume his favourite former Chelsea player never heard this comment from the then Inter Milan boss.

Benitez has only ever succeeded Mourinho at Inter Milan. Reported by Benitez, this was what soured their relationship.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: Chelsea’s manager Jose Mourinho (R) shakes hands with Rafael Benitez, manager of Liverpool, after their Premeirship game at Stamford Bridge, London, 17 September 2006.

Los Blancos lifted the global Champions Cup as a goalless draw was settled in their favour from the spot, and the Coach believes his team have shown a marked improvement since his appointment, most notably from a defensive perspective. Did Rafa enjoy the low pressure role, coaching children in nice parks, which presumably weren’t full of mad fans berating him as a “fat Spanish waiter”? “None”. “But, for me, Ibrahimovic is the best.” Tarring Ronnie with an mercurial-but-lazy-Swede-shaped brush. They may now be managing in different leagues but the feistiness still remains.

Mourinho guided Inter to a European and domestic treble in 2010 before leaving for Real Madrid.

“It would be a big disappointment for me”. All I can do is praise the players for their attitude and performances. When he was sacked, the club were at 6 position in the Serie A table and had been defeated by Tottenham in the Champions League.

Chelsea Transfer News: Stones shock, £15.5m Callejon offer, Higuain deal

EXPRES SPORT brings you all the latest transfer news from Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea could face competition from Manchester United for Everton star John Stones.

The Sunday Mirror claim United have asked the Toffees to keep them updated on the England youngster's situation at Goodison Park.

And reports suggest they have a better chance of landing the 21-year-old as Everton are unhappy with an opening offer of £20million from the Blues.

Jose Mourinho might have more luck with Jose Callejon, and The Metro believe a bid of £15.5m has been lodged for the Napoli forward.

Tottenham and Arsenal are also thought to be keen but Mourinho is understood to be eying up a move for someone who can score goals from out wide.

The 28-year-old has scored 32 goals in two seasons since signing from Real Madrid.

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Jose Mourinho could face competition from Manchester United for John Stones

Meanwhile, Callejon's team-mate Gonzalo Higuain has been offered a new deal to stay in Serie A.

Speculation about the Argentine's future has been rife all summer, with Chelsea, United, Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool thought to retain an interest.

But club president Aurelio De Laurentiis said "there is absolutely no chance that Higuain will leave."

Jose Mourinho says Chelsea's rivals are trying to buy the title

Jose Mourinho says Chelsea's Premier League rivals are attempting to buy the title.

Buying success was a charge which used to be levelled at Chelsea during Mourinho’s first period in charge, which began soon after wealthy Russian Roman Abramovich purchased the club.

However, having claimed the title for the first time since 2009/10 last season, the Blues have not made any major purchases in the wake of that success, whereas Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool have all spent significant money on improving their squads.

And Mourinho said: "In the beginning of Mr Abramovich coming to Chelsea, Chelsea was buying the title.

"Now, they are buying the title. All of them, they are buying the title.

"It is up to us to be strong and to fight them and, obviously, to try and win it again, even without the big investments."

Manchester City signed Raheem Sterling in a £49m deal after finishing second in the Premier League

Mourinho was speaking after watching his side beat Paris Saint-Germain on penalties in their International Champions Cup encounter in North Carolina.

The Portuguese manager was impressed by the enthusiasm shown by the spectators and suggested that, if Chelsea ever need to temporarily vacate Stamford Bridge while the ground is expanded, they could play a match or two in the States.

He said: "The people gave us an atmosphere which is not normal because, in the end, this is a friendly match.

Victor Moses of Chelsea celebrates after scoring against PSG in North Carolina on Saturday

"This is a match where you are not obsessed with the result, we just want to train.

"You make changes to the team not tactically, you make changes because you have a plan to give a certain number of minutes to everyone, but the people made it a big atmosphere. Thanks a lot for that.

"Maybe, when we don’t have Stamford Bridge for a couple of years, we can come here and play a couple of matches in the Premier League, because we know the support is fantastic."

José Mourinho: I was wrong to suggest a campaign against Chelsea

José Mourinho has said he regrets his use of the word “campaign” when complaining about decisions made against his Chelsea side over the turn of the year, though the champions’ manager stands by his assertion his team had been victims of oversights by match officials.

He had been incensed when Cesc Fàbregas was denied a penalty in the draw at Southampton in December after a foul by Matt Targett. Fàbregas was booked for diving by Anthony Taylor, with several other perceived incidents of simulation having been previously highlighted involving Diego Costa, Willian, Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic. Mourinho suggested a “clear campaign” had been instigated against his team, with the Football Association subsequently fining him £25,000.

“I’m not the kind of person to regret,” said Mourinho, who had pointed to pundits, rival coaches and commentators reacting to Chelsea in a different way to other teams. “What you did you did. What happened happened. You cannot change things. Time does not go back. We had lots of mistakes against us. That’s the reality but that’s football. Maybe ‘campaign’ is not a nice word. Maybe I would take that word out from my explanation and my comments, but that’s the reality. We had very bad decisions over a big period of time. But I also made bad decisions, so no problem.

“The word ‘campaign’ was even the subject of punishment because the word was strong. My feeling was that we had lots of mistakes against us, that punished us in crucial matches in a crucial period – November, December, January. I would take the word ‘campaign’ [out] if the same happened next season. It would be out of my vocabulary. But that feeling is clear. We had lots of decisions against us.”

will hoist their first Premier League trophy in five years after Sunday’s finale against Sunderland but speaking to the BBC, Mourinho pondered a future away from Stamford Bridge. “The day Mr Abramovich thinks I am not good enough for Chelsea, I want to work, and if possible in England too,” Mourinho told Football Focus.

“Any club comes to me now and offers me a fantastic project, offers me twice my wages in the contract at Chelsea, no chance. I see myself coaching another club, but I love Chelsea and I am in Mr Abramovich’s hands and until then I am here.”

In the mean time, the manager is targeting further progress next term, not least in the Champions League. “They have to win more to be considered great,” he said. “One title is not enough. Next season it will be a new type of Champions League, with different combinations in the last 16. It will be a Champions League where Real Madrid are among the second pot of seeds. A lot of big clubs – Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal – will not be in the first pot, so who are they going to cross with in the group stage? Lots of big teams will finish second, meaning they will be up against big teams who finish first. Those seedings are completely fair. Obviously I’d prefer Real Madrid with all the big guys in my group of seeds, but it’s fair. The first pot are for champions, whether they have won in England, Holland or Portugal.”

José Mourinho named Premier League manager of the season

 José Mourinho, centre, celebrates with (from left) goalkeeping coach Christophe Lollichon, first team fitness coach Carlos Lalin, assistant first team coach Silvino Louro, assistant first team coach Rui Faria, assistant first team coach Steve Holland and first team fitness coach Chris Jones. Photograph: Alex Morton/Action Images

Chelsea’s José Mourinho has been named the Premier League manager of the season. Mourinho guided Chelsea to their first Premier League title in five yearswhich completed a domestic double, the club having beaten Tottenham in the Capital One Cup final at Wembley in March.

Mourinho, in his second spell at Stamford Bridge, scoops the award ahead of fellow nominees Ronald Koeman, Garry Monk, Nigel Pearson and Arsène Wenger despite not winning a single manager of the month award during the season.

“It is, as you like to say in England, the icing on the cake, but the cake is more important than the icing,” Mourinho told Sky Sports. “The cake is the Premier League, the cake is the objective of the manager, of the technical staff, of the squad, of the club, of the millions of supporters, and I work for the cake, I don’t work for this.

This is the third time Mourinho has won the award after he was also recognised after Chelsea’s league triumphs during the 2005 and 2006 seasons.

“The problem in football is that you are eating one cake and you are still thinking about the next one. This is permanent,” he continued. “So I enjoy this cake very much, I have missed it for a while because the last one was in the 2005-06. But to go back to England and win it again is a fantastic feeling.”

Mourinho succeeds Tony Pulis, who was named 2013-14 manager of the year after he masterminded Crystal Palace’s remarkable escape from relegation.

The Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard has been crowned the Premier League player of the season. Hazard’s team-mates John Terry, Cesc Fàbregas and Nemanja Matic were also nominated for the award, as were the Manchester City striker Sergio Agüero, the Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea, the Tottenham striker Harry Kane and the Arsenal forward Alexis Sánchez.

The latest accolade completes a remarkable season for Hazard. He was also named the Professional Footballers’ Association and Football Writers’ Association player of the year. Hazard was unable to receive his FWA award in person after emergency dental surgery prevented him from attending Thursday’s ceremony.

José Mourinho: Loftus-Cheek was Chelsea’s most important academy title

José Mourinho believes Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s progress into the first-team squad at Chelsea this season will serve as a truer inspiration for the club’s academy players than the junior team’s success in winning the FA Youth Cup and Uefa Youth League.

Loftus-Cheek, an England Under-19 midfielder who was promoted to train with the senior squad in January, will start his second successive Premier League gameagainst West Bromwich Albion on Monday night. Isaiah Brown, who began his youth career at The Hawthorns before a controversial transfer to Stamford Bridge, will also make his senior debut in the fixture, while Nathan Aké will be involved at some stage as the Premier League champions offer some of their younger players game time.

Mourinho is painfully aware that Chelsea have not counted a youth team graduate as a senior regular since John Terry emerged from the set-up but the manager claimed that situation is “changing”. Players such as Andreas Christensen, Dominic Solanke and Mitchell Beeney have also enjoyed time with the seniors this term, with a strategy now in place and clear progress being made to bring through younger talent. “Academies are a process,” said the manager. “It starts with the facilities but it ends with the co-operation between the academy and the first team. At this moment we are working well. The players are the best witness of that work and they feel it. We know we are going in the right direction.

“This year, the most important title for the academy was Ruben, not the Uefa Youth League or the FA Youth Cup. It was Ruben: the best trophy. I’m excited but I keep emotional control. If I don’t I’d lose the players or help them go the wrong way but, yes, I am excited – but with stability. At this minute, that’s what they need.”

Mourinho acknowledged that his summer business in the transfer market must not block the passage of youngsters such as Loftus-Cheek into the first-team. “Maybe he’ll end up being better than anyone I buy and, if that is the case, he’ll play and the one I buy won’t,” he said, while last week’s £4.5m signing from Atlético Paranaense, the Brazilian teenager Nathan de Souza, will not be a threat next season. “Nathan will not be in Chelsea’s squad next year, simple as that,” said Mourinho. “You buy, in very good circumstances before the price goes to the moon. You develop the player. He belongs to you, is on loan, and in the right moment you bring him back.”

Instead, the manager will continue to preach to the youngsters the need for steady progress, with a pathway into the senior set-up now established. “These kids trust us and know what we do is the best for them,” added Mourinho. “They know the decisions for next season are the best decisions for them. Ruben is going to stay as a member of the first-team squad. The others who have been here in the seniors for one year [Christensen, if he signs a new contract, Aké, Jamal Blackman among others] are ready for the next step: that’s not the first team but a loan to a good team, to a good league and then to come back.

“That would open space for kids who are now in the academy to be in the first-team squad next season. So imagine Christensen going on loan. If he does, he goes to a high-level market. It opens space for another defender in the academy now to become part of the first team. If his development in the first team is so strong, like Ruben’s, that allows him to stay in the first team for ever, then perfect. If not, he reaches another level and gets another loan. So, for example, maybe Ola Aina will be in our first-team squad next year.

“We have this system in place for them – and I know it brings results.”

José Mourinho: transfer window ‘will be like Wall Street collapsing’

José Mourinho expects the summer transfer market to be warped, likening it to “Wall Street collapsing”, as rival clubs – intent upon mounting a title challenge next term – overpay in a bid to strengthen their squads.

Chelsea, who have already pinpointed their potential recruits, expect to make three or four additions of their own but will balance those signings with departures from the current squad. Yet Mourinho is braced for Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool to sanction significant outlays to ensure they muster more of a challenge next year.

“The market is difficult,” said the Portuguese. “I can imagine that, this summer, it will be like Wall Street collapsing. I can imagine that some clubs are coming into the market with such determination that they will disrupt the market and take it in unexpected directions. But we are in a good situation. We have this stability in our squad. We don’t need dramatic changes. We have to be loyal to our players because we believe in them.

“What other clubs are going to do is not going to affect our direction. If others buy 10 players each, that will not push us to do things we don’t want to do. We are stable. I’m in a different position to last season. Then, I was more than keen for my club to sell some players and in this moment I’m very, very happy to keep my players. The base last year was to sell to buy. The base this season is to keep my squad, but to give some extra motivation to the squad and a couple of extra options to improve.”

The Premier League champions have an interest in Antoine Griezmann at Atlético Madrid, whose current contract includes a buy-out clause set at £43m, and have put together an extensive list of prospective targets in anticipation of losing Filipe Luís and Didier Drogba. “Every player is linked to our club: some because they want to come; some because they want better contracts in their clubs,” said Mourinho. “That’s the nature of the market. We are not going to get into this game. It doesn’t affect us. It is what it is, but we know what we want, and it’s not much.”

Mourinho continues to hope Petr Cech will be retained next season, despite the player’s lack of first-team involvement this term. Talks are planned with the club’s hierarchy in the summer. “The player has a contract with Chelsea and Chelsea will have a very important say in the decision,” said the manager. “I want my best players [to stay]. Petr is one of my best players. I want my important players. Petr is one of my important players. So I would like him to say.

“That’s my position. I am positive, I am optimistic, and I’d like him to stay, so yes I expect him [to stay]. I’m optimistic he can be here next year.”

André Schürrle, who was sold to Wolfsburg for £23m in January having started five Premier League matches over the first half of the season, had revealed earlier this week that Mourinho had texted him to invite him to Stamford Bridge for the final game of the season against Sunderland. The same offer has been extended to Mohamed Salah and Mark Schwarzer, who were loaned to Fiorentina and released to Leicester respectively, as well as the youngster, Lewis Baker, who ended the season on loan at MK Dons.

The Premier League will supply the champions with 40 winners’ medals which are technically for players who have made five appearances, though in practice they can be distributed however the club see fit.

“André, Salah, Schwarzer, Lewis, all of those who started the season with us, have been invited to the last match and the Player of the Year dinner,” said Mourinho. “They belong to the group. We are not sure they can all make it – we know Lewis can – but at least they know we feel they belong to this title.

“I know that, by the rules, they only give a medal to a player who had five appearances and, in this case, not all of them will get an official medal. But yes, we are going to buy medals for everyone, and replicas of the cup. Obviously, for me the ‘champions’ are those who have played every minute like John Terry, but also people like Schwarzer who were not involved. Branislav Ivanovic also wants to play every game, and [Eden] Hazard wants to start every game in the Premier League. So if we can do that, we’ll do that.”

José Mourinho against Petr Cech moving to Premier League rival

José Mourinho would block Petr Cech from moving to a rival Premier League club, if the decision were up to him. The Chelsea manager said he would ideally retain Cech for the final year of his contract – even if it meant keeping the goalkeeper against his wishes – but made it plain that he did not want to see him join another English team.

Arsenal have explored the possibility of taking Cech and they believe that a deal could be put in place for him in the summer. A host of other clubs in mainland Europe are also interested in the 32-year-old, chief among them Paris St-Germain.

Cech – a Chelsea legend after 11 years of glittering service – enjoys a close personal relationship with the club’s owner Roman Abramovich, who is inclined to allow him to chose his next club, wherever it might be. A move to Arsenal might appeal as Cech would not have to uproot his family from London.

Cech has fallen behind Thibaut Courtois in the pecking order at Stamford Bridge and he has said that he does not want to have another season like this one, in which he has played second fiddle. He has been restricted to six appearances in Chelsea’s title triumph, conceding only one goal while he started in the Capital One Cup final win over Tottenham Hotspur in March.

Mourinho, too, enjoys a close relationship with Cech but from his perspective, the clinical, professional imperatives stand to outweigh the more emotional ones. To him, it would make no sense to lose a goalkeeper of Cech’s quality and it would make even less if he were to be allowed to strengthen a direct rival like Arsenal.

Mourinho had previously endorsed the view that Cech had earned the right to pick his next club but he revealed his true feelings on Friday afternoon, ahead of Liverpool’s visit to Stamford Bridge . He did, however, admit that his voice in the decision was unlikely to carry the same weight as that of Abramovich.

“One thing is José Mourinho and another is Mr Abramovich, and another thing is the board, because the board is a little bit of me and a little bit of other people,” Mourinho said. “If it was me, if it was my decision, the decision is Petr to stay. That’s it. It would be my decision for Petr to stay. Even against his will? Yes.

“I think that the club is more important than the player and, as was true this season, the club needs two very good goalkeepers. Without Petr this season, I don’t think the club would be champions because he played six important matches in the Premier League. Without these points, we probably wouldn’t be champions.

“For me, decision number one, Petr will stay. After that, second point, to go but not in England. The option I don’t want is for him to go to an English club. But, I repeat, I am just the manager and he means so much for this club and what he did in this club, I think he deserves everything from this club. If the club decision is different to mine I will accept it.”

José Mourinho: impossible to match Sir Alex Ferguson’s 13 Premier League titles

José Mourinho has dismissed the prospect of matching Sir Alex Ferguson’s haul of 13 Premier League titles as impossible.

The self-proclaimed Special One led Chelsea to his third Premier League title with Sunday’s 1-0 defeat of Crystal Palace.

Ferguson was 51 when he steered Manchester United to the inaugural Premier League title in 1992-93. Mourinho is 52 and has this season’s trophy to go along with the 2004-05 and 2005-06 wins from his first spell.

“I have a long way to go, but Sir Alex left the bar in an impossible position for anyone. I cannot win 13 Premier Leagues,” Mourinho told BT Sport, in an interview to be shown on Monday evening.

“I can win 13 championships. I can. I have eight, I think I can go to 13. But 13 Premier Leagues, no, no chance.”

Mourinho needs five more championships to reach 13, after two wins with Porto in Portugal, two with Internazionale in Italy and one with Real Madrid in Spain, plus his three with Chelsea.

Meanwhile the midfielder Ramires has taken to Instagram to reassure supporters after missing Chelsea’s title-clinching victory on Sunday through illness. The Brazilian was named in the starting lineup but withdrew late before kick-off and departed for hospital with a kidney problem.

Ramires wrote on Instagram on Monday: “I was very sick yesterday minutes before the match because of a renal complication, but I’m well and home with my family. Thank God it was nothing serious and I will be fully recovered in a few weeks.”

José Mourinho: ‘Chelsea did everything that champions need to do’

José Mourinho celebrated his first league title since returning to Chelsea by making clear he wants to stay at Stamford Bridge for many years and using an old Portuguese saying to explain why he would not be swayed by “the dogs” who criticise his team’s style.

Mourinho said he would remain in his job “for as long as Mr Abramovich wants me” after Eden Hazard’s goal gave his team a 1-0 win against Crystal Palace to confirm the title, before mounting a robust defence to the suggestion that Chelsea have not played with enough adventure since the turn of the year.

“We’ve shown everything since day one,” Mourinho said. “Everything football demands from a team we have had.

“We had fantastic attacking football, fantastic domination, high percentages of ball possession, low percentages when we let the opposition have the ball strategically and times when we have defended amazingly well.

“We did everything the team needs to do. That’s why we’re champions. That’s why we deserve it. Everybody knows that. The people who have a big face to say we don’t deserve it are the ones who, in my country, we have a saying for: the dogs bark and the caravan goes by.”

That saying – os cães ladram mas a caravana passa – comes after what Mourinho perceives as undue criticism about his team’s style of play. “It’s easy to be a pundit,” Mourinho said. “As a pundit you win every game. You don’t lose matches – fantastic job really. Maybe in 10 years’ time, it’s my job. Then I win every game.

“Now, as a manager, I lose sometimes and it’s a much more difficult job. But that the players are feeling now is fantastic. They deserve it.

“We have been convinced about it for a long time. My experience, my maturity, was always present in the control of the emotions and the situation and during the season we had some crucial moments that we coped with in a fantastic way.

“On 1 January we were equal points with Man City after a heavy defeat against Tottenham and instead of that being a turning point that was actually our last defeat.

“From that moment not one single defeat. So, I repeat, I think everybody knows that we deserve it. It’s just that some don’t say it. But they know.”

Mourinho’s first reaction at the final whistle was to find his family in the stand and the manager admitted it has been a difficult week for him with his father falling ill and being taken to hospital in Portugal. “When the game finished at Leicester I immediately got a private plane to go to Portugal and I was there with him at the most difficult moment, which was the surgery. After that everything is under control. He’s strong, getting better and better. I’m much more relaxed.”

Mourinho paid tribute to Abramovich – “He is the man who won every title at Chelsea; if he has replicas, he needs a big house” – and, true to form, he also praised his own work. “For me it’s a special feeling because I’m maybe not the smartest guy when it comes to choosing countries and clubs. I could have chosen another club in another country where it’s easier to be champions but I chose the most difficult league in Europe and club where I was happy before. In my country they say not to go back somewhere you were happy before because you risk that. So I took that risk. I’m so happy to win another Premier League title.”

Jose Mourinho - First Team Manager

Jose Mourinho returned to Chelsea for his second spell as manager on 3 June 2013. 

He had previously been in charge at Stamford Bridge between 2004 and 2007, steering the club to our first league championship in 50 years, successfully defending the Premier League title in 2006 while also adding two League Cups and the FA Cup, won in the first competitive fixture at the new Wembley Stadium. 

Following his departure in 2007, Jose joined Inter Milan, and promptly won back-to-back Serie A titles before adding the Champions League, the first time the Nerazzurri had won that competition since 1965. They also became the first team in Italy to do the league, cup and Champions League treble. 

That year, 2010, he won the inaugural FIFA World Coach of the Year award. He has also been manager of the season in Portugal, England and Italy. Real Madrid came calling, and Mourinho accepted the new challenge. 

Overhauling the all-conquering Barcelona was never going to be easy, and in his first season he fell four points short as the Barça side also knocked them out of the Champions League.

However in 2012 his team won La Liga, accruing 100 points and scoring a record 121 goals in 38 games. Barça would end the season without silverware. 

With nine European Cups to their name, Real have become obsessed with lifting a 10th, and the 2012/13 season, after a poor start in the league, was geared towards continental success, but as previously with the Blues, Mourinho's men fell at the semi-final stage. 

Madrid and their manager parted, and his last game was a 4-2 win over Osasuna at the Bernabeu two days before his appointment at Chelsea. 

Mourinho had made his name in management while in charge of Benfica and Uniao de Leiria, having started out as an assistant to the late Sir Bobby Robson at Sporting and Porto, following him to Barcelona. 

He returned to Porto as manager in 2002, leading them to the 2003 UEFA Cup by beating Celtic, and in 2004 he went one better with Champions League glory that would make him a household name and his players coveted across Europe.

He too had outgrown Portugal, and was attracted to Roman Abramovich's new project in west London. 

With him came defenders Paulo Ferreira and Ricardo Carvalho, and he added Didier Drogba while inheriting Petr Cech and Arjen Robben from pre-agreed transfers. John Terry and Frank Lampard were already there to complete the spine of a side that would lose only one game in the league all season, storming to the league title with a record 95 points and picking up the Carling Cup along the way.

European success proved evasive, with Liverpool eliminating us in the Champions League semi-finals with a famous 'ghost goal', but a year later we were celebrating domestically again, with another Premier League title. Chelsea were the undisputed best team in the land.

That crown slipped during the 2006/07 season as injuries took their toll, Man United reclaiming the league title while once again Liverpool proved our downfall in Europe, this time on penalties and again in the semi-finals. Chelsea and Mourinho, however, performed well in the cups, lifting the Carling Cup in Cardiff against Arsenal, and beating United at Wembley to lift the FA Cup.

Mourinho departed by mutual consent in the September of 2007, just a few weeks into the new season.

Nearly six years later, he returned on a four-year deal, declaring to Chelsea fans that the difference between 2004 and 2013 was that he was now 'one of you'.

A third-placed finish and Champions League semi-final appearance showed the group's potential, which was realised in style when Mourinho guided his exciting, well-balanced team to the Premier League crown in his second season back. The League Cup was also won to cap off a wonderful 2014/15 campaign. 

The Chelsea Years

2004/05

European glory at Porto had thrust Mourinho into the public eye, and when he decided he needed a fresh challenge it was Roman Abramovich’s evolving project in west London that caught his attention.

The Portuguese completed his move to Chelsea on 2 June 2004 and brought with him assistant coach Baltemar Brito, fitness coach Rui Faria, goalkeeping coach Silvinho Louro and scout Andre Villas-Boas. A Chelsea legend, Steve Clarke, completed the new management line-up.

There were plenty of fresh faces in the playing squad, too, including defenders Paulo Ferreira and Ricardo Carvalho – who came with him from Porto – and Didier Drogba, a striker who had impressed against Mourinho’s former side for Marseille. He inherited the pre-agreed transfers of Petr Cech and Arjen Robben, while John Terry and Frank Lampard were also there to complete the spine of a side that would lose only one league game all season.

I’m happy, I’m proud. I’m happy for myself, the players and fans and everyone associated with Chelsea. I have a lot of feelings at the same time. I know that a lot of people didn’t believe in our first season we could do it. But my nature is not to be happy with what we did. We want more. This is the beginning of a process, not the end. This is my first season and I want to win more for me and more for Chelsea. The players have a good taste and want more. I told them to enjoy today because tomorrow is another day.

Winning the league in 2005

The Blues had occasionally gone close in the league in prior years, including in the pre-Abramovich era, so Mourinho’s greatest accomplishment in that first glorious campaign was to transform the team and the club into battle-hardened winners who feared no-one and possessed both the ability and the tenacity to cross the line in first place.

For the fans, for the players, fantastic. I told them at half-time: next time we are together we must be champions.

Bolton April 30th 2005

In the end, we stormed to the championship title in spectacular fashion, amassing a record 95 points and conceding a paltry 15 goals, the equal lowest total in English top-flight history (Preston’s concession of 15 goals had come in only 22 games in 1888/89, the inaugural Football League season).

There was no time to breathe, no time to enjoy the moment. Emotions were running high at the end of the game. I’ve played finals and I didn’t run onto the pitch like I did today. Players, coaches, the medical department, everybody was involved.

Beating Barcelona 4-2 2005

Mourinho introduced a 4-3-3 system having tried but not been completely satisfied with a diamond formation in the season’s openers, and the move proved revolutionary. With Robben on one wing and Damien Duff on the other, the Blues began swatting teams aside. The combination of potent attacking at one end and rock-solid defence at the other proved too good for most.

There was a mid-season trophy for Mourinho’s men to celebrate as we defeated Liverpool in the Carling Cup Final in Cardiff, a win that preceded famous triumphs over European giants Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

All of my players were magnificent and we deserved to win. No doubt.

Carling Cup victory 2005

Sadly Liverpool eliminated us in the Champions League semi-finals courtesy of a infamous ‘ghost goal’, but Mourinho’s maiden year in English football could barely have gone better. The benchmark had been set.

2005/06

The relentlessness that had marked our success in 2004/05 continued the following year as we won 12 of our first 13 games in all competitions. One win in five in a two-week spell spanning the end of October and beginning of November preceded another monstrous run of 12 wins in 13 games, and we began the new year 14 points clear at the top.

There were some sticky moments to come, including away defeats to Middlesbrough and Fulham, as well as Champions League and FA Cup exits to new rivals Barcelona and Liverpool respectively, but the Blues motored through those rough patches to claim a second consecutive league title that had long seemed a formality.

One Mourinho masterclass came in the 4-1 home win over West Ham in April. A goal and a man down, the Portuguese stuck with Didier Drogbaand Hernan Crespo (the Argentinean striker revitalised in his first season under Mourinho) up front and was rewarded with four goals and a convincing home win.

It was fitting the title was secured against closest challengers Manchester United at Stamford Bridge - almost a year to the day since we had done likewise at Bolton in 2005 – as our outstanding form on home turf, where we dropped just two points, was the pillar on which the second championship success was built. Chelsea were again, undisputedly, the best team in the land.

The medal is for everybody but whoever caught it is lucky. We are the best team in the country and we really deserve this moment. The crowd here is special. They have contributed so much to the record we have at home. It is extra special in the Matthew Harding Stand.

Last year was different for us all. Even when we were seven or eight points clear, no one believed we could do it.

But this season it was the opposite. Liverpool and United had poor starts to the season and, as soon as we were a long way clear, everyone said the title was won already.

We had to manage a different and difficult situation, but we did and the feeling is unbelievable.

I told the players before the game that we could not allow a team to come here and take away the trophy. It is ours and we deserve it. The best two teams came together today.

Winning the league in 2006

2006/07

That crown slipped during the 2006/07 season as Manchester United reclaimed the league title with a couple of games to spare. It was a season that was missing just one game – the Champions League Final, Liverpool once again proving our downfall in Europe, this time on penalties – and as the fixtures piled up so did the injury list. Key squad members Petr Cech, John Terry, Ashley Cole and Arjen Robben were all absent for sustained periods, with the lack of central defenders sometimes meaning Michael Essien was forced to drop back.

Though the league successes of the previous two seasons could not quite be matched there was still domestic joy in the form of the League Cup and the FA Cup, with the final victories over Arsenal and Manchester United further proof of Mourinho’s ability to tactically outmanoeuvre opposition managers in the cauldron of a big one-off game.

Indeed, there was no finer testament to Mourinho’s nous than in that FA Cup final against Alex Ferguson’s side, where the deployment of both Claude Makelele and John Mikel Obi helped stifle the attacking talents of Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, paving the way for Drogba – the campaign’s outstanding performer – to net a late winner. The first final at the new Wembley, like the last at the old one, was a blue day.

This is not just an FA Cup. It is the first FA Cup that we've won. It is an FA Cup against Man United. It is an FA Cup that means the opportunity to say in three seasons we've won everything that's important in English football.

We've won six domestic competitions. Two Premierships, two Carlings, one Charity and now one FA Cup. United are the champions now. They have won one FA Cup. You can see the dominance of Chelsea.

2007 FA Cup win

2007/08

Mourinho departed by mutual consent in the September of 2007, just a few weeks into the new season. A run of three games without a win, including a frustrating home draw with Norwegian side Rosenborg, sparked the end of a dramatic and thrilling spell in charge. He left the Bridge as our most successful manager of all time.

I am very proud of my work in Chelsea Football Club and I think my decision in May 2004 to come to England was an excellent one.

It was a beautiful and rich period of my career. I want to thank all Chelsea FC supporters for what I believe is a never-ending love story.

I wish great success to the club, a club that will be forever connected to me for some historic moments. I also wish the players happiness in football and in their family life.

Leaving the club in 2007

2013/14

Mourinho returned to manage the Blues in June 2013, a little less than six years since he was last in the post. He brought with him familiar faces Rui Faria and Silvino Louro, as well as another assistant first team coach Jose Morais. The management line-up was completed by Steve Holland, a man already embedded in the Chelsea coaching set-up.

A roar that sounded like a goal had been scored greeted Mourinho when he emerged from the tunnel before our first game of the season, at home to Hull. He responded by blowing kisses to the crowd, and the team kept the feel-good factor up with a 2-0 win. 

A more competitive league than the one he had left – by his own admission - meant long winning runs proved harder to come by in his first season back, but Mourinho helped keep us top or very close to the top throughout a compelling Premier League season. 

We would eventually finish four points behind champions Manchester City but not before Mourinho had masterminded home and away wins against them, as well as second-placed Liverpool. Our victories at the Etihad and Anfield, against free-scoring sides in excellent form, were prime examples of his tactical acumen. 

There was another run to the Champions League semi-final to enjoy, too. Mourinho’s substitutions helped turn a 3-1 deficit to PSG around during the last eight and he also oversaw a goalless draw away to Atletico Madrid in the semi-final first leg, before losing out 3-1 in the return. 

Though the season ended without silverware there was plenty to suggest Blues supporters had much to look forward to in the seasons ahead. 

2014/15

Mourinho's second season began with a bang at Burnley with some outstanding attacking play, particularly in the first half. It was a sign of things to come. New signings from La Liga Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas provided a goal and two assists respectively, and the pair would go on to provide telling contributions throughout. 

Thibaut Courtois returned from his loan at Atletico Madrid and was made first-choice keeper by Mourinho. The rest of the side remained settled. In the league, six players made 28 appearances or more with three - the imperious captain John Terry, the ever-dependable Branislav Ivanovic and the mercurial Eden Hazard - starting every match. 

The vibrant, fast, incisive attacking style yielded plenty of positive results before Christmas including memorable wins over Everton, Swansea, Arsenal and Tottenham. Defeat was not tasted until December and in all we would lose only four games in all competitions all season, a Premier League record. 

As injuries and suspensions afflicted the side in the new year Mourinho proved yet again he could adapt the team's approach to suit all seasons, with equally impressive consequences. 

Bradford and PSG did get the better of us, in the FA Cup and Champions League respectively, but we triumphed in the Capital One Cup after seeing off Liverpool in the semi-final and then Tottenham at Wembley.

In the league, the wins kept on coming. The title was clinched with three games to go and there could be no doubting that Mourinho's side was the best in the land, having been top of the league since August 30, a record. He was named the Manager of the Year. 
 

The early days

Mourinho made his breakthrough in management in charge of Benfica and then Uniao de Leiria in his native Portugal. Prior to that he had been an assistant to the late Sir Bobby Robson when the former England boss took over at Sporting Lisbon in 1992. Such was the impression Mourinhomade, Robson subsequently took the Portuguese with him to Porto and then Barcelona; he was quickly putting his coaching qualifications to good effect, taking training sessions and discussing tactics with the players.

When Robson moved to PSV after one season in Catalonia, Barça were keen to keep Mourinho on and he teamed up with incoming manager Louis Van Gaal to become his assistant, with consecutive La Liga titles pointing to a fruitful partnership.

Mourinho returned to Portugal to become Benfica’s assistant manager and soon took over there, his first managerial post ending after nine league games in charge following a dispute with the Lisbon club’s president. Mourinho had impressed in that short time, though, and was appointed manager of Uniao de Leiria in April 2001. He took the lowly Portuguese club to their highest finish that season, and by the time he moved on to take charge of Porto nine months after joining Leiria they lay third in the Portuguese table.

Porto

Mourinho joined a Porto side lying two places behind the team he had left, but engineered a strong end to the season to ensure a spot in the UEFA Cup for the 2002/03 campaign. He masterminded glory in that competition – beating Celtic in the final - and there was domestic success as well as Porto won the league at a canter and defeated Mourinho’s former side Leiria in the final of the Portuguese Cup.  

Mourinho and Porto went one better in 2003/04, lifting the European Cup for the second time in their history as well as the league. In Europe,Mourinho’s brilliance had carried his team past Manchester United, Lyon, Deportivo La Coruna and, in the final, Monaco. He was, along with his players, immediately coveted across Europe. Stamford Bridge beckoned.

Inter Milan

Following his departure from Chelsea in September 2007 Mourinho took a break before he joined Inter Milan for 2008/09, and promptly won back-to-back Serie A titles before adding the Champions League in his second season, the first time the Nerazzurri had won that competition since 1965. They also became the first team in Italy to do the league, cup and Champions League treble.

That year, 2010, he won the inaugural FIFA World Coach of the Year award. He has also been manager of the season in Portugal, England and Italy. Real Madrid came calling, and Mourinho accepted the new challenge.

Real Madrid

Overhauling the all-conquering Barcelona was never going to be easy, and in his first season he fell four points short as the Barça side also knocked them out of the Champions League.

However in 2012 his team won La Liga, accruing 100 points and scoring a record 121 goals in 38 games. Barça would end the season without silverware.

With nine European Cups to their name, Real strongly coveted a 10th, and the 2012/13 season, after a slow start in the league, was geared towards continental success, but as previously with the Blues, Mourinho's men fell at the semi-final stage.

Madrid and their manager parted, and his last game was a 4-2 win over Osasuna at the Bernabeu.