Tuesday 4 June 2013 15:40, UK
Jose Mourinho has begun his second spell at Chelsea after telling supporters he wants to start from "ground zero".
Mourinho also revealed it took just five minutes with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to agree his return. He said: "It was an easy decision. I met the boss, I met the owner and in five minutes after a couple of very short but pragmatic questions, we decided straight away. "I asked the boss 'do you want me back?' and the boss asked me 'do you want to come back?' and in a couple of minutes, the decision was made." And there are no lingering hard feelings over the manner of his first departure, when he was replaced by Avram Grant barely a month into the 2007/08 season. He said: "It was a difficult moment because I love it here and have a big connection with the club. Also for the club, my departure it was not easy. "But if you analyse it in a cool way and you leave emotions a bit apart, I think it was fantastic. After that I had in my career what I was aiming for and Chelsea as a football club got important trophies, with important moments in the history of the club. "Now we are back together and it is a great moment for both, so I think we are ready to marry again and to be happy and successful again." Mourinho was the obvious choice to take Chelsea forward as the club's eighth new manager since he left in 2007, according to chief executive Ron Gourlay. "I am delighted to welcome Jose back to Chelsea. His continued success, drive and ambition made him the outstanding candidate," Gourlay said on the club's official website. "It is our aim to keep the club moving forward to achieve greater success in the future and Jose is our number one choice as we believe he is the right manager to do just that. "He was and remains a hugely popular figure at the club and everyone here looks forward to working with him again." Mourinho will address the English press at 1.30 pm next Monday, June 10, and former Blues forward Tony Cascarino is eager to see him back in front of the English media. He added: "Jose Mourinho's first press conference is going to be like seeing the Rolling Stones or The Beatles! But let's put it in perspective, Mourinho is a very talented manager. There is no doubt about that. You only have to look at his previous clubs."
