Chelsea losing patience with Jose Mourinho

Chelsea were still deliberating whether to sack Jose Mourinho last night, as the future of the club’s most successful manager remains in the balance after a dismal first half of the season.

Intense talks between owner Roman Abramovich and senior Stamford Bridge officials — including directors Bruce Buck, Marina Granovskaia, Eugene Tenenbaum and Michael Emenalo — continued for most of yesterday, with the board having already spent nine hours on Tuesday discussing the Portuguese’s fate.

Sources state that the Chelsea hierarchy are going through everything in fine detail, from the performance of the team to the cost of Mourinho’s pay-off and potential replacements.