Still the Special One: Jose Mourinho beats Star Wars

Chelsea will appoint Guus Hiddink as their new manager, according to former Blues striker Mateja Kezman.

Jose Mourinho’s departure from Chelsea was always the likely outcome.

Mourinho, sporting a newly shaven head and wearing a dark jacket, was photographed in a seat at the Amex Stadium, where his former Real Madrid assistant Aitor Karanka was taking charge of Middlesbrough.

“I can only say about Mourinho that I’m surprised”, he said.

“I first want to fully understand these reasons before making my decision”.

Asked about the role of the squad in Mourinho’s exit, he told Chelsea TV: “It’s very easy to make that inference but it is not one the club accepts”. If the FA want to punish me, they don’t punish other managers but okay, they can punish me. He noted that Chelsea have big players whose attitude should be strong enough to change the unwanted situation the club is in right now and he concluded that they have to be better than they are at the moment.

“Now, I spoke with Mark Hughes after the game last week and he told me, after Wenger, he is the longest serving one”.

But his second spell in charge of Chelsea ended prematurely Thursday, only seven months after he won his third Premier League title with the London club.

In desperation, Abramovich has also gone back to go forward, returning to Hiddink to try and lift the spirits and performance of players at war with Mourinho, and just as culpable as the Portuguese for this season’s remarkable collapse.

The fact that two of the highest earners at Stamford Bridge were leading calls for Mourinho to be fired would have hit home to Chelsea’s owner Roman Abramovich and the directors.

PSG and Bayern have also been touted as potential destinations for Mourinho, who could also be tempted by a return to Inter Milan. “Sad sad day”, the Chelsea captain wrote. “The very best I have EVER worked with, unbelievable memories together”.

Mourinho had claimed after the Leicester loss that he had been “betrayed” by his players and, with that in mind, it will be fascinating to see how Chelsea’s underachieving stars perform now.

Juande Ramos, the former Tottenham Hotspur and Sevilla manager, and Dutchman Guus Hiddink have been cited as potential short-term replacements. I don’t disagree that our current manager has been a disappointment in terms of our competition in Europe and current position in the League given the exorbitant spending, but I do disagree with the desire of some supporters on who should manage next.

“Each time represents for him the end of a cycle, and the opportunity to start a new one. However, I am sure we can all turn this season around”.