Chelsea owner Roman Abramovic calls emergency board meeting to discuss sacking Jose Mourinho

The Russian billionaire may have lost his patience with Mourinho’s continued failure

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovic has called an emergency board meeting to discuss Jose Mourinho’s future. The Russian is concerned with the direction of the club, with Mourinho unable to arrest Chelsea’s alarming slide down the table.

Following Chelsea’s dispiriting 2-1 loss away to surprise league leaders Leicester City, Abramovic convened an emergency board meeting to discuss a wide range of issues, the most pressing being that of Jose Mourinho’s future. The board members were cloistered in an office where discussions extended for nine hours.

As reported by ESPN FC, top club officials discussed January purchases and the current state of the squad, with a particular concern being that of their motivation. A source close to the officials revealed that, “the squad have seemed to stop listening”. Board officials were reportedly in agreement with Mourinho’s assessment that he felt ‘betrayed’ by some of his players.

Agreeing that the problem rested with the players, Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas told Sky Sports last night, “We will all have to take responsibility. If you are a big player and paid like a big player, you must play like a big player and behave like a big player.”

Final decision rests with Abramovic

Despite the board’s long-winded deliberations, the buck stops with Chelsea owner Abramovic. The board will vote upon Mourinho’s future in a subsequent meeting, but that will only serve as a guide for the Russian billionaire’s final decision.

Abramovic re-appointed Mourinho with a long term view, giving the Portuguese manager a four year contract at the end of last season. That may stay the Russian’s axe, as firing Mourinho at this stage will require a significant payoff that is rumoured to be £30 million.

Chelsea legend Frank Lampard had his say on the situation, questioning whether sacking Mourinho would change anything, saying, “They are probably not going to make the top four anyway or the top six. They're not going to get relegated if we are honest so I'm sure there's a view from Roman Abramovich to say: 'Hang on, let's see what happens at the end of the season.”

Mourinho probably agrees with his former charge, as he is keen to stay in the Chelsea hot-seat. Speaking at the post-match press conference, the Portuguese was adamant about his wish to stay, saying, “I have no doubts and I think you know me well enough, three years this time, plus three years another time, that I am not afraid of a big challenge, and in this moment this is a real big challenge. I want to stay, I hope Mr Abramovich and the board want me to stay.”