Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has stunned the world of football by leaving Stamford Bridge by mutual consent.
The decision comes after the club held a crisis meeting to discuss the indifferent start to the new season.
Mourinho, 44, joined Chelsea in June 2004 and led them to the Premiership title in each of his first two seasons.
But his relationship with Blues owner Roman Abramovich grew increasingly troubled and he quit despite having three years left on his contract.
The BBC understands former Israel coach Avram Grant, recruited in the summer as director of football, will take over from Mourinho.
A statement on the Chelsea website confirmed: "Chelsea Football Club and Jose Mourinho have agreed to part company today (Thursday) by mutual consent."
The Portuguese made a massive impact at Chelsea after joining them from Porto, whom he guided to Champions League glory in 2004.
Last season, the Blues finished runners-up to Manchester United but won both the FA Cup and Carling Cup, a trophy they had also collected in 2005.
Mourinho's achievements also saw him voted as Premiership manager of the year in 2005 and 2006.
Mourinho, who has reportedly been given a £10m pay-off by the Blues, will not be short of job offers.
Of the 185 games he was in charge of Chelsea, they won 124, drew 40 and lost 21, a record that includes a 60-match unbeaten run in Premier League matches at Stamford Bridge.
The statistics go some way towards justifying Mourinho's famous description of himself as "a special one", made during his first press conference as Chelsea boss.
MOURINHO'S CHELSEA RECORD
2 June, 2004 - Appointed manager
27 February, 2005 - Wins Carling Cup 3-2 v Liverpool
30 April, 2005 - Beat Bolton 2-0 to win Premiership title
4 May, 2005 - Signs new five-year contract
29 April, 2006 - Beat Man Utd 3-0 to win Premiership again
27 February, 2007 - Beat Arsenal 2-1 to win Carling Cup
19 May, 2007 - Win FA Cup by beating Man Utd 1-0 at Wembley
19 September, 2007 - Leaves Stamford Bridge
Source
The decision comes after the club held a crisis meeting to discuss the indifferent start to the new season.
Mourinho, 44, joined Chelsea in June 2004 and led them to the Premiership title in each of his first two seasons.
But his relationship with Blues owner Roman Abramovich grew increasingly troubled and he quit despite having three years left on his contract.
The BBC understands former Israel coach Avram Grant, recruited in the summer as director of football, will take over from Mourinho.
A statement on the Chelsea website confirmed: "Chelsea Football Club and Jose Mourinho have agreed to part company today (Thursday) by mutual consent."
The Portuguese made a massive impact at Chelsea after joining them from Porto, whom he guided to Champions League glory in 2004.
Last season, the Blues finished runners-up to Manchester United but won both the FA Cup and Carling Cup, a trophy they had also collected in 2005.
Mourinho's achievements also saw him voted as Premiership manager of the year in 2005 and 2006.
Mourinho, who has reportedly been given a £10m pay-off by the Blues, will not be short of job offers.
Of the 185 games he was in charge of Chelsea, they won 124, drew 40 and lost 21, a record that includes a 60-match unbeaten run in Premier League matches at Stamford Bridge.
The statistics go some way towards justifying Mourinho's famous description of himself as "a special one", made during his first press conference as Chelsea boss.
MOURINHO'S CHELSEA RECORD
2 June, 2004 - Appointed manager
27 February, 2005 - Wins Carling Cup 3-2 v Liverpool
30 April, 2005 - Beat Bolton 2-0 to win Premiership title
4 May, 2005 - Signs new five-year contract
29 April, 2006 - Beat Man Utd 3-0 to win Premiership again
27 February, 2007 - Beat Arsenal 2-1 to win Carling Cup
19 May, 2007 - Win FA Cup by beating Man Utd 1-0 at Wembley
19 September, 2007 - Leaves Stamford Bridge
Source
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