Mourinho Sacked Over 'Discord' With Players

Chelsea could appoint a successor to the sacked Jose Mourinho as early as today, with suggestions former boss Guus Hiddink will return for a second spell in charge.

The West London club announced on Thursday afternoon they had parted company with Mourinho by "mutual consent" after a poor start to the season left them one point above the relegation zone.

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A senior figure at the club later said the self-proclaimed "Special One" was sacked because of a "palpable discord" between him and the players.

Amid talk of dressing room unrest sealing Mourinho's fate, club captain John Terry used his Instagram account to pay tribute to the "very best I have ever worked with".

Terry wrote: "Thank You doesn't seem enough Sad sad day Gonna miss you Boss The Very Best I have EVER worked with, unbelievable memories together."

Sky sources understand Chelsea already have someone lined up to replace the 52-year-old by this weekend, when they face Sunderland.

Guus Hiddink, who took over as caretaker manager in 2009 after the sacking of Luiz Felipe Scolari, is the odds-on favourite to replace Mourinho.

According to former Chelsea striker Mateja Kezman, the Dutch coach already has the job.

"I don't know if it's been officially confirmed yet, but Hiddink just told me he was the new coach," Kezman told Croatia's Index HR news website.

Football Federation Australia, which employed Hiddink as the nation's coach for the 2006 World Cup, even announced him as the new manager on their website and Twitter pages.

Mourinho, the self-proclaimed "Special One", was called to Chelsea's training ground and sacked at 2pm on Thursday by club chairman Bruce Buck and director Eugene Tenenbaum.

TV pictures apparently showed him covering his face as he was driven away from the club's base in Cobham, Surrey, around two hours later.

In a statement, Chelsea thanked Mourinho for his "immense contribution", but added: "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."

Chelsea's technical director Michael Emenalo said the club hierarchy "felt it was time to act".

He told Chelsea TV: "The results are not good.

"There obviously seems to be palpable discord between manager and players, and we feel it was time to act.

"The owner is forced to make what was a very tough decision for the good of the club."

The Blues have lost nine out of their 16 games so far this season, and Mourinho's last match in charge was a 2-1 defeat to surprise league leaders Leicester City.

Chelsea's struggles this season are in stark contrast to last term, when Mourinho's men lost just three games on their way to the title.

It was his third Premier League title with the Blues - having won back-to-back domestic crowns in his first spell in charge from 2004-2007.

Mourinho came back in 2013 after apparently repairing his relationship with owner Roman Abramovich.

But his last season with Chelsea began in acrimonious fashion with the departure of club medic Eva Carneiro.

Ms Carneiro is pursuing an unfair dismissal claim against the club after Mourinho labelled his medical staff "naive" for rushing onto the field to treat Eden Hazard at the end of the 2-2 draw with Swansea in August.