Chelsea star reveals all on Mourinho invite before Benfica clash | OneFootball

Peter Kenyon, CEO of Chelsea between 2003 and 2009, was one of the Blues’ key figures responsible for hiring José Mourinho during his first stint at the London club. Recently, he gave an interview to The Telegraph, where he revealed everything about the arrival of the Benfica coach in London, as well as some details about his stay. It’s worth remembering that Blues fans still hold affection for the Special One.

"The deal almost didn’t go through because José was late. We were in a dubious restaurant on the border of Portugal. There were six or seven of us and food for 200. It looked like a wedding party, but we waited two hours for him to arrive, while the agent [Jorge Mendes] kept making excuses to justify the delay. The atmosphere at the table was very tense, because we realized the deal was at risk. Mourinho eventually showed up and, with his usual charm, immediately started talking about Chelsea as ‘us’. We also had Carlo Ancelotti on the list, but Mourinho was exactly what we needed, and the contract was signed a week later," Kenyon began to recount.

The former Chelsea CEO then spoke about the Portuguese manager’s departure: "The third season started with some tension, and Avram coming in to replace José was a problem, yes. Roman Abramovich, Mourinho, and I used to call ourselves the ‘Holy Trinity’. We would sit at the table, make decisions, and things got done. Each of us knew our role, and the introduction of a fourth person [Avram Grant] changed the whole dynamic and made us all uncomfortable. We had a meeting with Mourinho, and it was quite obvious that he wanted to leave, and Abramovich also wanted to get rid of him. It had reached that point. Telling the players that José had left and that Avram Grant was the replacement… It was tough. I had never seen so many footballers in shock as on that day; they were completely stunned. I felt like we had just let the air out of a balloon in the dressing room."

"Without wanting to disrespect Avram, we reached that final because of the players, not because of him. And I’m sure that with Mourinho on the bench, we would have won it," Peter Kenyon explained, recalling that Chelsea reached the decisive Champions League match in the season when Mourinho left the club.

The former Chelsea CEO concluded as follows: "When we hired Mourinho, we wanted to be the best team in Europe, and he was the one who built the foundations of the club for the next 20 years. He changed the culture, and if Roman Abramovich had left that restaurant without closing the deal, we would have hired another coach, and I’m certain it would have taken us much longer to win the titles we won with José. It was the best money Chelsea ever spent."

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.