Chelsea in Turmoil Following Mourinho’s Resignation

The English Premier League team Chelsea is in turmoil following its coach’s (44) resignation yesterday.

After the word of coach Mourinho’s departure from Chelsea was made public, Chelsea’s major stars, including Didier Drogba, spoke out against his resignation. Weeping, last season’s top scorer Drogba even implied his intention to follow Mourinho. Mourinho had a principle of not nurturing a star player during his time as a coach at Chelsea, but his players took to his coaching style.

There is widespread concern about the future of Avraham Grant (52), Chelsea’s new coach. Grant has never led a high-profile team like Chelsea. In addition, Grant has yet to agree to contract terms, such as salary and bonuses, as he had to replace Mourinho on short notice.

Grant has to face new challenges, one of which is leading his team players who are now so accustomed to former coach Mourinho’s style. The prospect of Andriy Shevchenko becoming a regular player over the wishes of Mourinho might well be a hot-button issue. Mourinho didn’t let Shevchenko play in matches very much as opposed to owner Roman Abramovich’s wishes. On the other hand, Abramovich wants his team to be more popular among fans by playing and cultivating stars.

Meanwhile, Mourinho is expected not to lead a Premier League club for the time being. Mourinho agreed to this when he signed his contract with Chelsea three years ago. But Tottenham Hotspur, which is preparing to replace its coach, is signaling its willingness to hire Mourinho. Mourinho also denied the rumor that he will be the coach of Portugal’s national soccer team.

bluesky@donga.com