Chelsea confirm Jose has left

A statement from the club read: "Chelsea Football Club and José Mourinho have agreed to part company today (Thursday) by mutual consent."

He is said to have texted skipper John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba late last night with an emotion-packed goodbye.

Mourinho reportedly held crisis talks with furious owner Roman Abramovich earlier in the day following Tuesday's dismal 1-1 home draw with Rosenborg.

The former Porto chief, who guided Chelsea to the Premiership title in both his first two seasons, fell out with Abramovich last term.

The Russian billionaire was unhappy with the Blues' lack of flair as Manchester United reclaimed the throne.

Mourinho thought he had patched up his relationship with Abramovich at the start of this season.

But Chelsea's stuttering form in the first few weeks has re-opened the wounds - fatally so, according to several sources late last night.

Many observers felt the signs were ominous at a Chelsea DVD launch on Wednesday evening when Mourinho, looking exceedingly downbeat and emotional, evaded any Press attention.

Even more significantly, England stars Terry and Lampard were NOT there - and Shaun Wright-Phillips, somewhat reluctantly, was the only player who spoke publicly.