Super-agent Jorge Mendes has come out in defence of his client Jose Mourinho and said that he is convinced that the under-fire Chelsea boss is the only one that can get the Blues out of their current malaise.
Chelsea are currently 15th in the Premier League with just 11 points after the same amount of games. They have suffered 6 defeats so far, with three of the losses coming at Stamford Bridge. They have also been knocked out of the League Cup by Stoke City and they are second in their Champion’s League group after Wednesday’s 2-1 home win over Dynamo Kiev.
Speaking to BBC Sport’s Dan Roan the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’’s chief advisor said, “He doesn’t need to prove anything to anybody. He knows what to do. Many people are saying these things but there is no chance [that he will leave]. He will solve the problem. He is the best”.
Chelsea are playing Stoke at The Britannia Stadium this weekend, but their manager won’t be on the touchline after deciding not to appeal against the Football Association’s one match stadium ban, given for his behaviour during his club’s 2-1 loss to West Ham at The Boleyn Ground.
Mendes is one of the best known and respected agents in the business. He has apparently brokered more than £1 billion worth of transfers during his career and represents such players as Victor Valdes, David De Gea, Angel Di Maria and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Speaking about his under-fire client he said, “At FC Porto he won the Europa League, the league, the Champions League. He won everything. After that, in Chelsea he was amazing. After 50 years he won the league and everyone was very happy with him. At Inter Milan, nobody expected Inter could win the Champions League – no way. Even the quarter-finals seemed quite impossible. At Real Madrid against the best team in the world he still won the league. He is special. The reaction from the supporters tells you everything. They like him. Everyone, players, coaches, you have good moments and bad moments. It is impossible to find someone like him to solve the problem”.
Of course Mendes is hardly the most impartial of Mourinho’s supporters, but he’s chosen to speak on behalf of his client at a time when the Portuguese maestro is under immense pressure. Not only are his Chelsea side struggling to find form in the league but the man himself is also facing criticism from numerous quarters because of his behaviour so far this season.
On top of the stadium ban and £40,000 fine that Mourinho was given by the Football Association because of his behaviour during his side’s loss to West Ham, he has also been given a £50,000 fine and a one match suspended stadium ban for things he said in the aftermath of his side’s loss to Southampton at Stamford Bridge last month. He is also going to be the subject of an individual legal action from Eva Carneiro, the Chelsea club doctor who Mourinho labelled as ‘naive’ for treating Eden Hazard on the pitch during the closing moments of the first game of the season – a game that his side drew 2-2 with Swansea.