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Jose Mourinho hints is keen to stay at Chelsea beyond his current contract
The Portuguese enjoyed a successful three-year stint at Chelsea from 2004-2007
Then he fell out with club owner Roman Abramovich, but returned in the summer
The English Premier League sack race has been as busy as ever this season, but Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has signaled his long-term commitment to the club in an industry that has been criticized for its short term outlook.
Paolo Di Canio, Martin Jol, Steve Clarke and Andre Villas-Boas have all been given the push by top-flight clubs in England this term – Sunderland, Fulham, West Brom and Tottenham respectively – while Ian Holloway resigned before Crystal Palace had the chance to do the same.
And with Malky Mackay’s future at Cardiff seemingly ever more uncertain, the days of a manager enjoying 27 years at the helm of a club as Sir Alex Ferguson recently did with Manchester United seem consigned to the past.
Mourinho first arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2004 and went on to guide Chelsea to the English Premier League title – the club’s first for 50 years – as well as the FA Cup, the Community Shield, two League Cups and a further league title.
But despite writing his name into Chelsea’s history books, a well-publicised fall-out with the club’s owner, Roman Abramovich, ultimately led to his exit in 2007.
This time, however, Mourinho, who returned to west London in the summer, is hoping to stay around long enough to create a real legacy.
“Realistically I have a four-year contract and I hope at the end of the four years we sit down, analyze the situation and we are both happy for me either to carry on or happy to separate,” Mourinho told reporters ahead of Chelsea’s visit to Arsenal on Monday.
“My desire and my feeling is to work for these four years and after that analyze the situation.”
After departing from Chelsea in 2007, Mourinho went on to manage Inter Milan where more success followed, including the Treble of the Champions League, Serie A and Coppa Italia in 2010.
Real Madrid was the Portuguese’s next destination, where he added the La Liga title, the Spanish Cup and the Spanish Supercup to his coaching CV.
Despite the relative success, Mourinho left Spain’s capital under a cloud at the end of last season – reportedly falling out with the club’s players and its president, Florentino Perez.
The Chelsea boss, however, disputes this theory, saying: “I’ve had teams where I needed to be successful immediately. I had Real Madrid, and I left there because I wanted to, not because the club wanted me to.
“There were clubs in other countries where it would have been easy for me to go to and find an easy job.”
Having had opportunities to take up an “easy job” elsewhere, the former Porto boss feels his latest post is far more challenging.
With the likes of Frank Lampard and John Terry, who were in their prime during Mourinho’s first spell in charge at Chelsea, growing ever older, the Portuguese has been handed the task of forging a new side based around the talents of younger players like Oscar and Eden Hazard.
And it was this project, along with his admiration for the English game, that persuaded Mourinho to return to Chelsea.
“I’m here because I love this club and I love the pressure. It’s a different project for me and that’s why I’m here,” he said.
“I also love this country in terms of football, no doubt about that, but the main reason was the club explained what they want from me and I was open to that.”