Chelsea make Graham Potter decision as Jose Mourinho wants third spell at Stamford Bridge

Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has contacted the club to declare his interest in a third managerial spell at Stamford Bridge but was met with a firm stance over Graham Potteru’s future, according to reports.

The Portuguese head coach is no doubt the greatest manager in Chelsea‘s history, even proclaiming himself to be number one.

Over two spells at the club, Mourinho lifted the Premier League three times at Stamford Bridge.

This included back-to-back titles as well as a remarkable third on his return to the club for a second stint.

However, both times he was dismissed by former owner Roman Abramovich and it looked like his love affair with Chelsea was over as he went on to manage rivals Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

During his time with Chelsea’s foes, Mourinho made several digs at the Blues fans, initially when he arrived at the Red Devils – stating that the Old Trafford crowd was the best in the league.

While at Spurs, Mourinho became a heated rival of then-Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, with the Italian stating that the Blues legend suffered from ‘senile dementia’ before the Blues faithful backed their new man in the dugout but labelling Mourinho as ‘Judas’ with chants from the stands.

The Special One replied to this though, holding up three fingers and telling the press that until another manager lifts three Premier League titles, ‘Judas is number one’.

Since his departure from Spurs, Chelsea fans have cooled on their rivalry with Mourinho and no doubt accept him as one of the, if not the, best manager to ever take to the Stamford Bridge dugout despite Thomas Tuchel’s recent Champions League win – a feat that Jose never matched.

There is a sense of unfinished business for the current Roma boss Mourinho, who still craves that European trophy with Chelsea and he has already contacted the new owners about a potential return to the club.

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According to Matt Hughes of the Daily Mail, Mourinho is eager to return to England next season after a couple of years in Rome.

His ideal scenario would be a third spell at Stamford Bridge, with his representatives already letting it know that he is interested in a return to Chelsea.

However, the club are said to have made it clear to him that they will stand by Potter.

It’s unclear as to how serious Mourinho’s interest is in a return at the moment, but the news that the club have rubbished a potential return shows just how serious they are about backing current boss Potter, who has been under immense pressure.

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Chelsea saw a drop in form since their return from World Cup action but Potter has been backed with significant investment in the January transfer window as six players have already arrived.

It is believed that Malo Gusto will seal his move to Stamford Bridge to bring this number up to seven in the coming days but head back to Lyon on loan.

Therefore it looks like Chelsea will look to a future under Potter than be tempted by the past success of Mourinho any time soon.