Mourinho not ready to take sabbatical – statement

REUTERS – Sacked Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will not be taking a sabbatical and remains proud of his two spells in charge at the west London club, a statement released by his sports management representatives said on Saturday.

The 52-year-old Portuguese was fired by Chelsea just seven months after winning the Premier League title on Thursday following a dismal start to the campaign and a statement released by CAA Sports Management suggests he will be back in the dugout soon.

“He will not be taking a sabbatical, he isn’t tired, he doesn’t need it, he is very positive, and is already looking forward,” the statement said.

“Because of his love of football, you will see Jose at football grounds working and supporting friends. He will not be attending any high-profile games because he wants to discourage any speculation about his future.”

Despite his dismissal, Mourinho was said to be happy about his decision to return to a club where he has won three Premier League titles over two spells in charge.

“Jose Mourinho is pleased that he returned to Chelsea Football Club because he was able to give the fans another Premier League title, which they had not won for many years,” the statement continued.

“He is immensely proud of his eight trophies at Chelsea (he also won one FA Cup, three League Cups and one Community Shield), and thanks the fans for all their support throughout his two spells at the club.

“During his career, Jose has sometimes chosen to leave a club, but only at Chelsea has the club decided that he should leave.”

The statement concluded that Mourinho would continue to live in London but had no plans to comment on his “current situation for the foreseeable future”.

(Reporting by John O’Brien in Singapore; Editing by Sudipto Ganguly)