Chelsea will issuea further statement on Thursday regarding the club’s vacant managerial position.
Jose Mourinho dramatically walked out of the club in the early hours of Thursday morning after over three years in the job.
Former Chelsea midfielder Didier Deschamps was initially installed as the favourite to replace Mourinho at the helm.
But according to reports the London club may turn to Avram Grant – the Israeli who was appointed as director of football in the summer.
Grant is expected to take charge of Chelsea for Sunday’s meeting with champions Manchester United at Old Trafford. However, there has been speculation that Grant’s close ties with Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, will see him being installed as Mourinho’s permanent successor.
Peter Kenyon, the club’s chief executive, Bruce Buck, the chairman, and Abramovich’s key aide, Eugene Tenenbaum, held an emergency meeting at Stamford Bridge to discuss the emerging crisis.
The club eventually confirmed Mourinho’s departure in the early hours of Thursday when they posted a statement on the club’s official website.
The statement read: “Chelsea Football Club and Jose Mourinho have agreed to part company today (Thursday) by mutual consent.”
Differences between the pair existed since their disagreement over the lack of funds to sign players during last January’s transfer window. After an outlay of more than £500m, Abramovich was also reported to be unhappy with Chelsea’s playing style under Mourinho.
It is thought the dispute between Mourinho and Abramovich resurfaced after their 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa earlier this month. The final straw appeared to be Tuesday’s disappointing 1-1 draw with Rosenburg, watched by fewer than 25,000 fans.
The former Porto boss won two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and two League Cups in just over three years at the club.
