Chelsea captain John Terry has revealed that certain players at the club have been feeding Jose Mourinho gossip for years amid rumours that he’s to make a return to Stamford Bridge.
Mourinho – now manager at Real Madrid – departed the West London club back in 2007 after a reported power struggle with owner Roman Abramovich and other key figures but a few of his former players have kept in touch.
The 32-year-old defender was quoted in Spanish newspaper Marca:
“We send each other text messages and often wish each other good luck.
“He’s interested in our results and everything that happens at the club.
“He’s not only in contact with me but also with [Frank] Lampard and other players.”
Terry also spoke of his continued admiration for the Portuguese manager:
“He’s been winning titles at Real for three years and he has the chance to win the Copa del Rey this season. All I can say is that he’s a top manager who I really enjoyed working under.
“He always thought about the squad, not just the starting-eleven. He explained things to you, also when you weren’t playing and demanded everything from you.
“We worked hard and we could also talk to him about personal problems. He was a friend. We were all sad when he left.”
It doesn’t mean anything in relation to whether or not Mourinho will return as it sounds like he’s been keen on getting inside information for years and hasn’t come back so far but it has never looked more likely, admittedly.
I’m not really sure what to make of it. I’m sure that there are plenty of people in the game that keep in touch with former colleagues and friends but it could be construed as being a little intrusive and undermines the coaches that have been around since he’s left as a third-party is receiving knowledge in relation to their business.
I believe that Mourinho is lobbying hard for the Chelsea job and his former charges are doing the best to help him as Terry isn’t the first to be so candid when it comes to him.
He’s certain to leave the Bernabeu at the end of the season as his position in the Spanish capital has weakened significantly this season, especially as his open criticism of club legend Iker Casillas have provoked an angry reaction from the players and Pepe revealed as much recently.
Marca reported that a truce has been called at Real Madrid until after the Copa del Rey final but he isn’t even speaking to his players these days – with Michael Essien, Luka Modrid and Diego Lopez being his only allies. There was no post-match talk after the Valladolid game, no meeting to discuss Pepe’s comments, and barely a word spoken in training as the Spanish press portray him as an isolated figure. We have certainly not seen the self-styled Special One look as vulnerable as he has done this season which has led critics such as Rob Beasley of The Sun believe that he’s ready to settle in the Premier League and do something long-term for once.
It sounds like he speaks to the Chelsea lads than he does his own players. I’d say he’s desperate to come back to Stamford Bridge but the only man that matters in the whole piece is Abramovich and Mourinho knows it.
