Any follow of the Premiership has seen a wide variety of soundbytes come and go as players and managers attempt, usually half-heartedly, to play down speculation linking themselves with other clubs. Behind every statement, though, is usually some secondary motive.
Jose Mourinho, on the other hand, has been setting his stall out pretty convincingly the past couple of weeks culminating in banning his own agent from speaking with other clubs,
“What I have said 20 times at least is that I want to be here and I can not do more than that,” he told Sky Sports News.
“I am not a liar. I am honest. So when I say 200 times to my players, to my supporters, the board, to everybody, even the people who don’t support Chelsea, that I want to stay at Chelsea, I want to honour my contract, I want to be here.
“I love the club, and I love English football, I can do no more that.
“I have forbidden my agent to speak with other clubs, I don’t want my name to be linked with other jobs.”
But as great as news as this is for Chelsea fans, in that the popular boss does not want to leave, it could also be an indication that Jose knows he’s on the way out and is simply preparing the fans and media appropriately. A move to Real Madrid or either of the Milan’s this summer would now result in plenty of backlash against Roman Abramovich and virtually none on Mourinho himself.
The master of deflecting media attention any which way he pleases to get an advantage may have just done it again.