What a difference a year makes, eh?
Only last summer, Jose Mourinho – fresh from steering Chelsea to a league title – was inking a whopping £30m 4-year deal to stay at Chelsea.
But a matter of months later, Mourinho was gone. With hopes of retaining their league title already up in smoke, he was given the boot left the club ‘by mutual consent’.
Having spent hours preparing superbly-crafted banners such as the one below, many Chelsea fans made their feelings about Mourinho’s departure clear in their side’s next home game against Sunderland.
But it was too late. Jose was gone.
Although they’d almost certainly never see him back in Stamford Bridge’s home dugout again, Chelsea supporters could at least take comfort from the fact that he’d never dream of joining a Premier League rival. How could he? His love for the club and its fans was simply too great.
Even with pressure mounting on Louis van Gaal at Manchester United, the Chelsea faithful remained confident that Jose wouldn’t dream of taking the job at Old Trafford.
Chelsea supporters were understandably confident that Jose wouldn’t be swayed by a move to Manchester before United appointed Louis van Gaal in the summer of 2014…
https://twitter.com/Brooksie_JB97/status/459056234529046529
If Mourinho ever wanted the United job. He would have had it. Dream on United, he's ours.
— Ross (@RossOliver_) April 22, 2014
And were equally confident at the end of last season…
Jose Mourinho to Manchester United? Dream On http://t.co/BzwBvIxDIA
— The Pride of London (@PrideOLondon) May 8, 2015
And at the point where he left Chelsea…
https://twitter.com/Bvndari/status/677241737249689602
And even as recently as last month…
https://twitter.com/_Asgardian/status/589478257185161217
https://twitter.com/khaltoolsi/status/719213819705298945
Then this happened…
We are delighted to announce Jose Mourinho is our new manager! Full statement: https://t.co/PDiHMIWnpd #WelcomeJose pic.twitter.com/eZ8NBSz2up
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) May 27, 2016
Evidence, if needed, that anything is possible in football.
