Breaking News: Chelsea Sack Mourinho

Just seven months after winning the Premier League, Jose Mourinho has been sacked by Chelsea for a second time.

It was reported earlier this week that Chelsea's board had met to discuss Mourinho's future following Monday Night Football's defeat at Leicester, a result that tested owner Roman Abramovich's patience beyond his limit. It was understood that Mourinho was called to the training ground at Cobham to a meeting with chairman Bruce Buck and director Eugene Tenenbaum earlier on Thursday afternoon, which lasted no longer than 10 minutes and at 2pm his second spell as Chelsea manager was brought to an end after 30 months and 136 games, despite delivering his third and the club's fourth Premier League title by an eight-point margin in May.  Mourinho has been under increasing pressure as their worst start to a season since 1978 began to form, with defeats to Manchester City and Crystal Palace, Everton , Southampton, West Ham, Liverpool , Stoke, Bournemouth and Leicester this month. Chelsea have qualified for the Champions League last-16, where they play Paris Saint-German, and it is understood to have eased some of the pressure on the Portuguese for a time but the 2-1 defeat by league-leaders Leicester at the King Power Stadium saw Mourinho accuse his players of a “betrayal”.

Chelsea released a statement which read “Chelsea Football Club and Jose Mourinho have today parted company by mutual consent. All at Chelsea thank Jose for his immense contribution since he returned as manager in the summer of 2013. His three league titles, FA Cup, Community Shield and three League Cup wins over two spells make him the most successful manager in our 110-year history. But both Jose and the board agreed results have not been good enough this season and believe it is in the best interests of both parties to go our separate ways. The club wishes to make clear Jose leaves us on good terms and will always remain a much-loved, respected and significant figure at Chelsea. His legacy at Stamford Bridge and in England has long been guaranteed and he will always be warmly welcomed back to Stamford Bridge. The club's focus is now on ensuring our talented squad reaches its potential. There will be no further comment until a new appointment is made”.