Jose Mourinho's eight-word plea to leave Chelsea revealed as former chief tells all

A former Chelsea chief has revealed what Jose Mourinho told him after deciding he wanted out of Stamford Bridge

Jose Mourinho's first spell at Chelsea was nothing short of magical. But it ended more abruptly than many expected, as former Blues chief executive Peter Kenyon has revealed.

After arriving from Porto in 2004 and famously dubbing himself "the special one," Mourinho transformed Chelsea into a dominant force. He delivered back-to-back Premier League titles and secured three domestic cups in just three seasons. His charisma, confidence and innovative tactical approach set Chelsea apart, allowing them to sweep aside domestic and European competitors with remarkable authority.

However, early in his fourth season, things started to unravel - and fast. According to Kenyon - who joined Chelsea from Manchester United in 2003 - the root cause was a gradual but significant shift in the relationship between Mourinho and club owner Roman Abramovich, ultimately leading to Mourinho's departure in September 2007.

"Jose came to me and said, 'Pete, get me out of here, will you?' And we sorted it [Mourinho's exit] that night," Kenyon said on the High Performance podcast.

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Chelsea's early success under Abramovich was built on what Kenyon describes as a 'holy trinity' between himself, Mourinho and the owner - three figures aligned in vision and decision-making. But as Abramovich's understanding of football deepened, his involvement evolved.

"The first time I saw Roman, he knew nothing about football. Two years in, he knew a lot. So he started to have an opinion," Kenyon said.

"He's an incredibly smart person... I think he became the best owner in Premier League football and he certainly became the most knowledgeable. He was interested in it, he watched it, he came to games. He got really into it. But as a consequence of that, he started to have an opinion.

"Then these things start to creep in in terms of, we'd win 1-0, [but Abramovich would insist] we should have won 3-0. Jose was the best coach in the world at that time... so it ended early, that's the reality.

"It wasn't that he got fired. Jose came to me at a cinema launch, we'd done a Chelsea film, and he said, 'Pete, get me out of here will you?' And we sorted it that night."

Kenyon, who spent six years at Stamford Bridge, maintains he has no regrets about Mourinho's exit, believing the partnership had simply reached its natural conclusion.

"If you look at Jose's career, he never stays 10 years. He's a builder, he's dynamic, he's got his own style which is not easy and that's all great. But it was sort of coming to an end and I think the three of us all saw it.

"It didn't happen on that night... there wasn't one event, there wasn't an explosion or a big argument, there was just a gradual changing of the style that Roman wanted... it started off as explanatory, then it started to become confrontational, 'What are you asking me that for? We got three points.'

"Jose and I are really good friends. Him and Roman are really good friends. Jose went on to do great things after Chelsea. We went on to win as Chelsea [in Mourinho's absence]. So I think it ran its course."

Following successful spells at Inter Milan and Real Madrid, Mourinho returned to Chelsea in 2013. He guided the club to another Premier League title in the 2014/15 season before once again departing midway through the following campaign, in typically abrupt fashion.

He later went on to manage Manchester United and Tottenham, but his legacy at Stamford Bridge remains unmatched. His first spell in west London - where he elevated Chelsea into a European powerhouse and one of the Premier League's most formidable sides - remains one of the most defining managerial eras in modern football history.

Chelsea's 2004/05 Premier League triumph - their first league title in 50 years - was remarkable not just for ending a historic drought but for redefining dominance. They set a then-record points tally and conceded just 15 goals all season, a defensive benchmark that still stands and looks untouchable.

"When we got Jose, from day one... he made them [Chelsea's players] all bigger than what they were," Kenyon said. "The way he talked about them, the way he was going to get them to play, the role they were playing in building Chelsea to be a big European team.

"Frank Lampard, John Terry, Joe Cole, these guys physically grew. And at that point, I knew we'd made the right decision [to hire him]. Man management ability... he could get these guys walking through walls, utter belief.

"Jose changed the sport when he came in... he was so critical to Chelsea's success, even after he left."