Abramovich saves on Mourinho

The Portuguese leaves Real Madrid. His return to Chelsea after six years is a done deal, media say.

On London billboards, Portuguese football coach José Mourinho is already pictured in a Chelsea shirt with the caption “The Special One – Second Coming.” Just a day after Real Madrid president Florentino Perez announced his departure from the “White Ballet,” Mourinho became the central sports figure of the day in the British media. According to them, his arrival at Chelsea is already a certainty. This was helped significantly by the fact that Chelsea owner and Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich will not have to pay a single euro for his former coach. Mourinho still had a contract with the Spanish giant until 2015, but after agreeing on its termination, he became a free coach. Chelsea’s management is expected to officially present him on June 2, the day after Real Madrid’s final league match.

Gave up millions
While owner Abramovich saves millions of euros in bringing Mourinho, the controversial and successful coach himself gave up millions. Why? According to results and reports in the Spanish media, it was clear that his time at the club was over. And under an early termination, he would have been entitled to compensation of 20 million euros, according to The Mirror. “But since the coach himself wanted to leave and the club was also inclined to his departure, it cost no one anything and everyone can be satisfied,” Slovak football agent Jozef Tokos told the Economic Daily. According to him, such contractual clauses are not common with coaches, but Mourinho is not an ordinary coach. “In the case of such lucrative contracts, both sides make detailed provisions on the conditions under which the coach can leave and on the other hand be released by the club’s management. Here a rare agreement of both sides was reached,” Tokos stated.

As speculation about Mourinho’s arrival at Chelsea spread during the day, leading players of the club and icons, led by Frank Lampard, reacted. All statements were positive. “We are waiting for the official announcement of the new coach’s name. But Mourinho is the best coach in the world and Chelsea is one of the best clubs,” said striker Fernando Torres.