Mourinho back at Chelsea

the 50-year-old Portuguese has signed a four-year contract with the club he previously coached between 2004 and 2007.

“I am delighted to welcome Jose back to Chelsea. His continued success, drive and ambition made him the outstanding candidate,” said chief executive Ron Gourlay in a statement published on the Chelsea website.

“It is our aim to keep the club moving forward to achieve greater success in the future and Jose is our number one choice as we believe he is the right manager to do just that.

“He was and remains a hugely popular figure at the club and everyone here looks forward to working with him again.”

Mourinho had earlier on Sunday night confirmed that he will take charge of Chelsea “later this week”.

“I’m going to London on Monday (yesterday) and at the end of the week I will be the manager of Chelsea,” he said to leading Spanish TV football show Punto Pelota. “I feel the people there love me and in life you have to look for that.

“Life is beautiful and short and you must look for what you think is best for you.”

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez also told Sky Sports that Mourinho will “definitely” rejoin Chelsea over the summer.

The Portuguese said goodbye to the Bernabeu on Saturday night with a 4-2 victory over Osasuna and speculation has been mounting for some time that he will return to Stamford Bridge.

Mourinho arrives from Real Madrid, where an initially fruitful three-year spell ended in acrimony following an unsuccessful league title defence, a semi-final exit in the Champions League, and the alienation of senior players including goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

Prior to joining Madrid, he enjoyed a stunning two-season stint at Inter Milan that culminated in an unprecedented sweep of Serie A, Italian Cup and Champions League trophies in 2010.

He succeeds interim manager Rafael Benitez, who led Chelsea to Europa League glory and Champions League qualification this season after replacing the sacked Roberto Di Matteo in November.

Mourinho’s first spell as Chelsea manager saw the club emerge as the dominant force in English football.

Backed by the investment of billionaire Russian owner Roman Abramovich, Mourinho won back-to-back Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006, as well as two League Cups and the 2007 FA Cup.

He left in September 2007 after his relationship with Abramovich broke down but the pair soon reconciled and he returns with the objective of turning Chelsea into title challengers once again.

Mourinho has brought coaches Rui Faria, Silvino Louro and Jose Morais with him from Madrid and will be officially presented to the media next Monday.

He enjoyed four stellar years with the Blues between 2004 and 2007 – winning two English Premier League titles, an FA Cup, two League Cups and an FA Community Shield.

He went on to clinch the Champions League with Internazionale in 2010 and won the hearts of Real fans by wresting the La Liga title from arch-rivals Barcelona in 2012 before falling from grace this term and coming to a mutual agreement to terminate his contract.

Ricardo Carvalho, who was a mainstay of Chelsea’s defence under Mourinho and followed his compatriot to Real, believes that “The Special One” returning to fill the Blues’ vacancy left by the departing Benitez is a shrewd move for all concerned.

Carvalho said: “They are doing well but it is important to improve. It’s a special club for me. I was so happy there and I wish they will win titles. They won the Uefa Cup (this season) but the Premier League is important.

“In two or three years I’m sure, but also in his first year he can win again. In 2004 when we went there, he won in his first year and he can do the same.”

Never have the words “the bitter end” been more apt as Jose Mourinho took charge of his last game at Real Madrid before returning to Chelsea.

He left the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday night without saying goodbye to Cristiano Ronaldo, Pepe and Iker Casillas, having suggested all three had deliberately ruled themselves out of his last game in charge.

And as if to underline the divisions, Alvaro Arbeloa — one of the players who had stayed loyal to Mourinho in what had become a dressing-room war against the coach — claimed the manager had been betrayed by his players.

Mourinho had left as many as 10 first-team players out of his final squad for Saturday’s visit of Osasuna, but claimed that, while many were injured and had been ruled out by the club’s medical staff, Ronaldo, Casillas and Pepe had all taken it upon themselves to miss the last game.

He told Spanish television channel Intereconomia: “The players not in the team had either been declared injured by club doctors, or have declared themselves injured. Pepe, Cristiano and Casillas all ruled themselves out with back pain. They did not train all week and they did not train very well last week either.”

The disintegration of player-coach relations after Real Madrid’s Champions League semi-final exit against Borussia Dortmund intensified after the charade of the Spanish Cup final, which Real lost with both Mourinho and Ronaldo sent off. It had reached such levels that it seems the star players wanted no part in their coach’s send-off. The manager who built winning teams at Chelsea, Inter Milan and Porto on the foundation of unbreakable dressing-room unity was unable to do the same at Real Madrid. Straight after Saturday’s 4-2 win, Arbeloa suggested that Mourinho was let down by selfish players.

The Spain defender said: “Mourinho gave everything for the club, always putting it first, and sometimes his image was affected by that. I am not sure everyone else, players included, can say the same.

“A lot of us worried that we might look bad in the media. We worried about having a good public image and we spoke always for our own benefit. There is a good group of players here and we all have a good relationship, but perhaps we lacked maturity at times.”

The split between Mourinho and his players was never as clear as in the tunnel before the final home game of the season as he waited until the last moment possible to take to the pitch.

Ronaldo was also in the tunnel waiting to be awarded a post-season prize, and not a word was exchanged between the pair.

Pepe and Casillas appeared at the top of the stairs that lead to the dressing room, ready to watch the game from the private players’ boxes high up in the Bernabeu.

They looked down on Ronaldo. He looked at Mourinho, who looked out on to the pitch, avoiding eye contact with his three errant players.

It was an image to sum up a tempestuous last season in charge when, for the first time in his career, the Special One had lost the dressing room.

“We have to learn for next season,” said Arbeloa. “With the new coach, we have to be united with everyone helping each other.

“This coach has won wherever he has gone and it is strange that here, where he had the best squad he has ever had, is where he has won the least.” The divisions in the dressing room were as ever replicated in the stands of the Bernabeu.

Supporters behind one goal sung his name throughout the 4-2 win but the songs were drowned out by jeers from the remaining three sides of the stadium. There were “Thanks for everything” signs held aloft but others read, “Thanks for nothing” and “Don’t ever come back”.

The most vocal of the pro-Mourinho supporters hung a “Mourinho we love you” banner from the stand behind the south goal.

The outgoing coach came back out to those supporters after the end of the game to have pictures taken with several who had made their way on to the pitch. — AFP.