Chelsea’s pre-Christmas sacking of Jose Mourinho – 10-minute meeting, axe after staff lunch

With new Benfica manager Jose Mourinho back at Stamford Bridge in the opposing dugout, Mirror Football has a look back at the last time he was sacked by Chelsea

When Chelsea sacked Jose Mourinho for the second time, they may as well have stuck his P45 in a Christmas cracker. Almost 10 years from the day he was dismissed by the west Londoners, Mourinho returns to Stamford Bridge as manager of Benfica in the Champions League.

He has an opportunity to pile the pressure on incumbent Blues boss Enzo Maresca, who has lost his last two Premier League games and began his European campaign with a 3-1 away loss to Bayern Munich.

The Italian’s position in the dugout is understood to be safe, for now, even if there are concerns about Chelsea’s worrying form of three defeats, a draw and one win – the unconvincing 2-1 victory over Lincoln City in the League Cup – in their last five matches.

READ MORE: Jose Mourinho’s massive net worth, rarely-seen wife and shock arrest while at ChelseaREAD MORE: What Jose Mourinho did at Stamford Bridge speaks volumes as ex-Chelsea boss makes feelings clear

Mourinho knows all too well how it feels to be sacked by the Blues, having had the axe wielded on him by the Roman Abramovich administration twice. While Mourinho insists he fosters no bitterness towards the Blues, the second sacking would have particularly stung.

Instead of a Christmas stocking he was given the sack by Chelsea, barely six months after guiding them to Premier League glory.

In the summer of 2015, Mourinho was being sprayed with champagne after guiding the west Londoners to the Premier League title for the third time.

Heading into the festive season of the 2015/16 campaign, Mourinho would have been sipping on Christmas fizz. It would not have tasted so sweet as the Blues’ Premier League form saw them succumb to nine losses in their first 16 Premier League games of the campaign.

Three days after losing 2-1 to eventual shock title winners Leicester City, Mourinho dined on roast turkey and pigs and blankets while pulling Christmas crackers with his players and other Chelsea staff. But the Christmas pudding had barely stopped burning by the time he was told to collect his belongings from Stamford Bridge.

According to the Daily Mail, Mourinho went from the staff Christmas lunch to Abramovich’s office, where chairman Bruce Buck and director Eugene Tenenbaum were also waiting. The meeting was a swift 10 minutes, but it was claimed there were weeks of conversations between the Blues’ lawyers and Mourinho’s agent regarding the Portuguese boss’ £250,000-per-week contract.

Sporting director Michael Emenalo made it clear the decision to axe Mourinho had been made weeks in advance, stating: “That contract clearly signifies that what has happened today was not a pre-meditated decision. It was a decision taken to protect the interests of the club.

“While there is huge sentiment for the individual who has done so much for the club, the fact of the matter remains that Chelsea Football Club is in trouble. The results are not good. There obviously seemed to be a palpable discord between manager and players, and we felt it was the time to act.

“The owner was forced to make a very tough decision for the good of the club. Make no mistake about it, Chelsea — one of the biggest clubs in the world — are one point above relegation in the Premier League and that’s not good enough. Any fan who loves the club or has any kind of affiliation to the club can understand that something needed to be done.”

It was ultimately made public on December 17, 2015 – after losing nine of their opening 16 Premier League matches – that Mourinho had been dismissed.

Chelsea announced they had parted company “by mutual consent”. And the club statement at the time read: “The club wishes to make clear Jose leaves us on good terms and will always remain a much-loved, respected and significant figure at Chelsea.”

Nearly a decade later, Mourinho, who looked excited by the prospect of possibly doing a number on his former side, insists Chelsea still hold a dear place in his heart.

In his pre-match press conference, the Benfica boss said: “I will always be a Blue. I am part of their history. They are part of my history.

“I helped them to become a bigger Chelsea, and they helped me to become a bigger Jose. It will be my Chelsea before the start of the game and after the game but during the game it’s my Benfica and that’s all that matters. When I say I am not a Blue, I am only speaking about the job I have to do tomorrow.”

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.