Chelsea have officially announced that José Mourinho has been named the clubs new manager. Mourinho, who won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups in his first spell at the club, has signed a four-year contract.
In making the announcement, Ron Gourlay, the Chelsea FC Chief Executive, said:
‘I am delighted to welcome Jose back to Chelsea. His continued success, drive and ambition made him the outstanding candidate.
‘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 is bringing three members of his coaching staff from Real Madrid, Rui Faria, Silvino Louro and Jose Morais. Each carries the title of Assistant First Team Coach and will work alongside current first team staff Steve Holland, Christophe Lollichon and Chris Jones.
Mourinho will return to a squad which contains some familiar faces, with Petr Cech, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard, John Mikel Obi and John Terry still regulars, while Michael Essien spent last season on loan with Mourinho at Real Madrid.
“He’s a great manager, I’ve said it a million times to the point of boring people, but I’m very fortunate to have worked under him before” Frank Lampard told BBC Sport.
“He took my game on a million miles, and my personality in terms of football on a million miles. A lot of the reasons I moved on in the game is because of him.
“He’s taken that (a winning mentality) everywhere he’s gone with him. He creates a spirit in his squads that you can see from the outside is very, very strong. He’s a top-class manager, we all know that.”
Chelsea dominated the Premier League when Mourinho was in the charge the first time, but he comes back to a different league now. Manchester City can compete with, and outbid Chelsea for any player they want, while Manchester United seem willing to spend a lot more money this offseason than in previous years. Add in Arsenal and Spurs and next season’s Premier League promises to be the most competitive one in years.
Last season Man United finished 14 points ahead of Chelsea in the table. With the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson and the arrival of Jose Mourinho, that gap has been wiped out.
How do you think Jose Mourinho will do in his first season at Chelsea?
