Chelsea
manager Jose Mourinho's future at the club has been discussed at board level
following Monday night's 2-1 defeat at Leicester.
However, there is no emergency meeting being held on Wednesday and it is
believed the board's discussions were part of an ongoing process which has
continued since a defeat to Southampton earlier this season.
Chelsea lost their ninth Premier League game of the campaign on Monday and,
while board members Bruce Buck, Eugene Tenenbaum, Marina Granovskaia and
Michael Emenalo discussed the manager's future with owner Roman Abramovich
after the match, no decision was made.
Sky Sources can confirm that Mourinho's future has been discussed by the
board on a regular basis since Chelsea's 3-1 defeat to Southampton on
October 3 - a loss which prompted the club to issue a public statement
backing the manager, the first time they have ever done so in the Abramovich
era.
Chelsea's players were given a day off on Tuesday, but they were at the
training ground on Wednesday, where Mourinho took training.
The mood was said to be 'subdued' as the first-team squad reflected on a
defeat which left them 16th in the Premier League table, just one point
above the drop zone.
Chelsea cruised to a third title success under Mourinho last season, after
he twice led them to glory during his first stint at the west London club,
but they have struggled so far this term.
However, qualification for the knockout stages of the Champions League was
secured last week and is understood to have relieved a lot of the pressure
on Mourinho, although the board remains concerned about the club's league
position.
They have taken positives from some aspects of recent performances, although
defeats to Bournemouth and Leicester in consecutive matches have led to
serious questions being asked about whether Mourinho can inspire an upturn
in form.
The board are said to be cautious about sacking Mourinho for a second time,
not wanting to make a hasty decision and remove a manager who they consider
to be the best in the world.
Mourinho agreed a new four-year contract at the end of last season, which
was publicly announced in August.
And there were conflicting reports on Wednesday about the financial
implications of sacking Mourinho.
Chelsea's financial statements show they have not made any significant
pay-offs for compensation to sacked managers since the departure of Luiz
Felipe Scolari in 2009.
In recent times, Chelsea have continued to pay their sacked managers during
the terms of their contracts until they find further employment elsewhere,
at which point payments cease.
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