Mourinho and Abramovich had unique relationship compared to other Chelsea bosses

03 June 2024 , 08:31

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Jose Mourinho said he and Roman Abramovich had a respectful relationship at Chelsea (Image: GETTY)

Jose Mourinho and Roman Abramovich had a fruitful relationship during their triumphant stint at Chelsea, claims Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Abramovich appointed the Portuguese manager at Stamford Bridge in 2004, following his Champions League triumph with Porto. And 'The Special One' quickly made his mark on English football.

The new Fenerbahce manager, 61, clinched the Premier League title in his first season and repeated the feat in the 2005/06 season. His Chelsea team set records for the most home wins and fewest home defeats in a season.

Mourinho signed players like Michael Essien and Wright-Phillips, who both earned winners' medals. The title was the first top-flight silverware for Wright-Phillips, who spent three years in west London.

In a chat with football.london, Wright-Phillips said Mourinho and Abramovich were a winning combination at Chelsea because they understood each other.

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"Their relationship was fine," the former Manchester City winger said. "They got on like a house on fire. Roman understood Jose and Jose understood Roman and they made things happen together. The squad they built back then was a very strong one and consequently they won things."

Jose Mourinho won three Premier League titles with Chelsea across two stints (GETTY)

The Greenwich-born player marked the end of Mourinho's first tenure at Chelsea in 2007 as the moment things became different at the club as they blitzed through the Portuguese's successors over the coming years. "And when he left is when everything started to change at Chelsea," expressed the former player. "Then we had the churn of managers and still have that under the new owners (Todd Boehly)."

Up until Antonio Conte led Chelsea to the Premier League title in 2017, Mourinho in his second stint and Carlo Ancelotti were the only Blues managers to survive more than a year under Abramovich. The likes of Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Andre Villas Boas all endured short stints at the helm.

Mourinho, in spite of reports about ongoing disputes with Abramovich prior to his departure, clarified their relationship as "very respectful relationship", but admitted they were never friends.

"He was never my friend," he previously explained concerning the Russian tycoon. "We always had the relationship of owner-manager; a very respectful relationship. We were never friends. We were never close to each other. So, no, he is just a person that I keep very respected."

Fasika Zelealem