Mourinho’s representatives have re-opened a dialogue with the Premier
League club over the past few days in the hope that Roman Abramovich can
finally be persuaded to take back the manager who left amid acrimony in
September 2007, although no deal has yet been agreed.
As Chelsea’s
search for a manager to replace Rafael Benítez intensified, so too did their
attempts to revitalise their playing squad. It is believed that Chelsea have
made another move to eventually sign Brazilian striker Neymar, with technical
director Michael Emenalo having travelled to Brazil to watch him play.
Although there is a groundswell of support from within Chelsea for
Mourinho to return, it is believed that Abramovich, the club’s owner, has
proved more reluctant as he did not enjoy the aggravation around the manager.
He also gave Mourinho an £18 million pay-off.
This time Mourinho is understood to have initially demanded a salary of
£12 million a year, a get-out if Chelsea fail to finish in the top four and,
most crucially, control of transfers in the belief that the club would simply
welcome him back. These demands were rejected.
There are two schools of thought around Mourinho’s behaviour on Tuesday
from those who know him: one that he spoke because he has now received a firm
offer from Chelsea and felt emboldened to do so. Or that it was a more
desperate act — one source said on Wednesday that he had not seen Mourinho
behave like that before. “Him offering himself like that was strange,” he said.
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