Three days of rampant speculation has resulted in the inevitable. Jose Mourinho, seven months after claiming his third Premier League title, has been relieved of his duties as manager of Chelsea FC. The BBC were the first to report the news, with Chelsea later confirming the departure by mutual consent via a statement on the club’s website:

Chelsea Football Club and Jose Mourinho have today parted company by mutual consent.

All at Chelsea thank Jose for his immense contribution since he returned as manager in the summer of 2013.

His three league titles, FA Cup, Community Shield and three League Cup wins over two spells make him the most successful manager in our 110-year history. But 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.

The club wishes to make clear Jose leaves us on good terms and will always remain a much-loved, respected and significant figure at Chelsea. His legacy at Stamford Bridge and in England has long been guaranteed and he will always be warmly welcomed back to Stamford Bridge.

The club’s focus is now on ensuring our talented squad reaches its potential.

Mourinho’s job has been the subject of speculation all season, with Chelsea having issued an unprecedented vote of confidence in early October as the team lingered in the bottom half of the Premier League table. But after Monday’s 2-1 loss at league-leading Leicester City, a new round of speculation surfaced, with English media dissecting comments the coach made after the game that likened his players’ inability to execute his plans to a betrayal.

While Chelsea have yet to name a replacement, speculation on Wednesday linked two managers with an interim role. Guus Hiddink, who led Chelsea to an FA Cup as interim boss in 2009, was reported by the Telegraph to be a potential replacement, with Chelsea then targeting Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone to replace him in June.

In the wake for the BBC’s report, the Telegraph’s Sam Wallace reported Hiddink would be appointed to the interim role.

Guus Hiddink to replace Jose Mourinho until the end of the season. More at @TeleFootball soon

— Sam Wallace (@SamWallaceTel) December 17, 2015

According to The Times, however, former Sevilla, Tottenham and Real Madrid boss Juande Ramos is on Chelsea’s radar as a potential short-term replacement.

Carlo Ancelotti, Hiddink’s replacement at Stamford Bridge who guided the Blues to the 2009-10 Premier League title, has also been linked with a return to Chelsea. However, multiple sources in Germany and Spain have reported the former Juventus, Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid boss will replace Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich when the Spaniard leaves the club at the end of the season.

BREAKING: I understand Jose Mourinho has just been told by Chelsea he has been sacked as manager

— Dan Roan (@danroan) December 17, 2015

Mourinho told he was sacked at a meeting with club hierarchy in last 30 mins. Understand he will be paid until end of the season

— Dan Roan (@danroan) December 17, 2015

For Mourinho, this is the second time has has left Chelsea, with his first departure also coming by mutual consent on Sept. 20, 2007. After title-winning runs at Inter Milan and Real Madrid, “The Special One” returned to the Bridge in June 2013 and delivered his third Premier League title one season later.

Over the course of his two tenures with Chelsea, Mourinho has steered the club to nine honors, including three League Cups and one FA Cup.

Chelsea currently sit 16th in the Premier League, one point above the league’s bottom three. The team’s nine losses in 16 games are more than their previous two league campaigns combined, with their 26 goals allowed already approaching the 32 conceded during the 2014-15 campaign.

Note: This story was updated from its original version as of 10:10 a.m. Eastern time to reflect the Telegraph’s updated reporting about Hiddink’s potential appointment. Minutes later, the story was updated to reflect Chelsea’s confirmation of Mourinho’s departure, with the headline and opening paragraph’s language altered to reflect a departure by mutual consent rather than a firing.

World Soccer Talk

latest articles by World Soccer Talk