Jose Mourinho has been fired by Chelsea.
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The club have confirmed that they and Mourinho have “parted company with mutual consent” which could mean Mourinho, 52, will receive up to $60 million in compensation.
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However, he only signed a new four-year contract in the summer but it is reported that he’s accepted a much lower figure to leave Chelsea.
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Mourinho only led Chelsea to the Premier League title in May 2015 in just his second season back with the Blues — he led Chelsea to three Premier League titles, 1 FA Cup and 2 League Cups from 2004-07 — but 16 games into this season his side have lost nine times and sit in 16th place, just one point off the relegation zone.
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Here is the statement in full from Chelsea as they revealed why they decided to part company with Mourinho.
“Chelsea Football Club and Jose Mourinho have today parted company by mutual consent. All at Chelsea thank Jose for his immense contribution since he returned as manager in the summer of 2013.
His three league titles, FA Cup, Community Shield and three League Cup wins over two spells make him the most successful manager in our 110-year history. But both Jose and the board agreed results have not been good enough this season and believe it is in the best interests of both parties to go our separate ways.
The club wishes to make clear Jose leaves us on good terms and will always remain a much-loved, respected and significant figure at Chelsea. His legacy at Stamford Bridge and in England has long been guaranteed and he will always be warmly welcomed back to Stamford Bridge. The club’s focus is now on ensuring our talented squad reaches its potential. There will be no further comment until a new appointment is made.”
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Following Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat to Leicester City on Monday the Portuguese boss said he felt “betrayed” by his players, threw star man Eden Hazard under the bus and has since labelled Leicester’s ball boys as a “disgrace” to the Premier League.
Mourinho has a history of imploding after three of more years at one club and has never spent more than three seasons with one team in his head coaching career which began with Benfica in 2000 and continued with Uniao de Leiria before his time coaching in his homeland ended in a blaze of glory with FC Porto in 2002 where he led the Portuguese outfit to the UEFA Champions League title in 2004.
This season has seen plenty of problems on and off the pitch, with Mourinho put under plenty of pressure for his handling of the Eva Carneiro situation where he publicly vilified the Chelsea team doctor and demoted her.
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His first spell at Chelsea ended in turmoil when he agreed to walk away in 2007 and since then he only spent two years at Inter Milan where he delivered the Serie A, Coppa Italia and UEFA Champions League treble in his second year before heading to Real Madrid and winning just one La Liga title and a Copa del Rey in three seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Now one of the most successful managers in the history of the game — and the most successful manager in Chelsea’s history — has agreed to walk away from Stamford Bridge as Chelsea’s awful start to the current season has cost Mourinho his job.
