Jose Mourinho is optimistic about Chelsea's future endeavours following the club's sale, despite the west Londoners having endured a difficult period throughout the process. The former Blues boss, who is enjoying a tremendously successful debut season with AS Roma, claimed that the takeover saga affected the players' performances.
Chelsea have struggled in recent weeks as the race for top-four reaches the final straight. Thomas Tuchel's side have had to roll with the punches off the pitch, too, with several senior figures jumping ship amid the uncertainty at Stamford Bridge.
Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen are set to leave Chelsea at the end of the season once their respective contracts expire in the summer. Despite the adversity in west London, where Mourinho still resides, the Portuguese boss is wishful that the Blues reclaim their status among Europe's elite.
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Speaking to Sky Sports, Mourinho broke his silence on Chelsea's 'difficult moment'. The 59-year-old said: "Of course, it is a difficult moment, and you can even feel it at football level because they lost that level of excellence and stability — but it's the moment, it's the moment.
"If you ask me, 'do you have somebody that I would love to take over from my Chelsea?' Let's say that - yes, I have, but I close my mouth.
"I just know that the club reach such a level that it doesn't matter who with, Chelsea will always be big and my house will always be 200 metres away from the Stadium. I want to keep listening to the sound of happiness and success, and I'm sure it will be like that."
Mourinho was then asked about the prospect of John Terry securing Chelsea fans a percentage of the club. He was posed this statement by Sky Sports: "Maybe the fans get more involved [in the takeover] — that's what John Terry, for example, wants."
The former Chelsea captain and his fan run consortium True Blues have chosen to endorse Stephen Pagliuca's group over Todd Boehly's in the build-up to the club's eventual sale. Mourinho replied: "No, John is Chelsea. Even if he's not working there, John is Chelsea. Chelsea was made by people like him."
