Former Super Eagles player and Chelsea sporting director Michael Emenalo has said the decision to part ways with Jose Mourinho was made to “protect the interests of the club”.
He said, “While there is a huge sentiment for the individual who had done so much for the club the fact of the matter remains Chelsea are in trouble, the results are not good, there is palpable discord between manager and player and it is time to act,” Emenalo told Chelsea TV.
“The owner is forced to make what was a very tough decision for the good of the club. Make no mistake about it Chelsea, one of the biggest clubs in the world, is one point above relegation from the Premier League and that’s not good enough.
“This is essentially the same group of players who won the league and the League Cup last season. They did it in style, by showing commitment and by sweating blood. They play to instruction, they adhere to everything the manager asked them to do.
“They [the players] have a responsibility to go out and prove everybody wrong and show a certain level of commitment to the decision that has been made tonight to try to get the club up the league. That’s what they need to do.”
According to Goal.com, Emenalo also said he was working hard on finding a replacement for Mourinho with the club set to welcome Sunderland to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
“You are not a big club if you don’t have big plans for situations like this,” he added. “We are a big club with quality coaches embedded through the club and I can tell you we will be OK for Saturday.
“We will have competent people come out and help with the preparation for the game on Saturday.
“The club is working vigorously and actively to make sure the situation with regards a managerial appointment is taken care of as soon as possible.”