Unrest at home grabs unwelcome headlines

LONDON, Jan 18 (Reuters) Torrents of media reports concerning conflict at Chelsea have all but drowned out the Premier League champions' worldwide commercial message in recent days.

Just as chief executive Peter Kenyon was launching the latest of the club's initiatives for world soccer domination with a new Web site in China, furious speculation that disgruntled manager Jose Mourinho might quit was grabbing headlines last week.

Publicity over ''positive'' stories such as Chelsea's hosting of the Chinese Olympic squad next month and a charitable venture on Thursday has been lost in column inches devoted to Mourinho's apparent standoff with billionaire owner Roman Abramovich.

The problem for Chelsea is that the ''negative'' story, involving big money and big egos is more exciting. It also crosses frontiers because of fevered speculation that clubs in Spain, Italy and elsewhere are ready to snap up Mourinho.

The story is likely to run and run -- at least to the end of the season when Mourinho, who has more than three years left on his contract, and Abramovich may decide to part company early.

Mourinho, a Champions League winner with Porto before being poached by Chelsea in 2004 and leading them to their first title in 50 years, had until recently assured fans he wanted to stay until 2010.

His family needed a bit of stability, Chelsea had a bold and ambitious vision and the Premier League was the best in the world, he said.

DEPARTURE UNTHINKABLE At the start of the season with another title in the bag and big signings Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack ready to help Chelsea's assault on domestic and European titles, talk of him leaving seemed unthinkable.

By last weekend that had all changed. When asked about his future Mourinho said in a world-weary way: ''In football you cannot be categoric about certain issues.'' The Chelsea hierarchy, whose stated aim is to make the London side the biggest in the world and to become financially self-sufficient -- independently of Abramovich -- within the next decade, has held a flurry of meetings this week trying to broker peace.

While speculation about the details of the dispute has ebbed and flowed, newspapers are agreed that it stems from Abramovich's reluctance to add to his more than 400 million dollar spending on players and from his backing for Shevchenko.

Mourinho wants cover because Chelsea's highly paid multinational squad have been hit by injuries. Those to goalkeeper Petr Cech, returning only this week after three months out with fractured skull and to inspirational club and England captain John Terry, who has missed the last nine matches with a back problem, the most damaging.

Terry's return date is uncertain as its that of winger Joe Cole who has a stress fracture and centre back Khalid Boulahrouz with ligament problems.

Chelsea, though still in the running for two domestic cups and the Champions League, have dropped an unaccustomed six points behind Manchester United in the Premier League.

PERSONAL FRIEND On top of the injuries Shevchenko, a personal friend of Abramovich, has failed to live up to expectations, with only five goals this season.

Mourinho, who probably did not place Shevchenko at the top of his list of targets last season, has made veiled references to a lack of effort.

Abramovich, newspapers report, thinks Shevchenko could be better handled and rumours have intensified of his intention to bring in Russian-speaking Israeli coach Avram Grant, a technical director at Portsmouth to help out.

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp stirred the speculation pot when he said of Grant earlier this week: ''If Chelsea want him or feel he can help, it would be unfair to stand in his way.'' Mourinho, is proud of his achievements. He lives and breathes his job, studying tactics and the opposition in minute detail.

''Please don't think I am arrogant but I am not a manager who comes out of a bottle, I am European champion. I think I am a special one,'' Mourinho famously said on arrival at Stamford Bridge.

The ''special one'' tag stuck and he was never likely to take kindly to interference in team affairs, even from the man who pays his astronomical wages.

Throw into the mixture unwanted input from sporting director and chief scout Frank Arnesen, hired from Tottenham Hotspur in 2005, and the result was always likely to be explosive.

Shevchenko missed Chelsea's last two games with a hamstring problem but trained this week and it remains to be seen whether Mourinho will trust him for Saturday's tough game at Liverpool.

His appearance might appease Abramovich, just as an apparent compromise over transfers signalling the arrival of a defender might appease Mourinho. Chelsea said on Wednesday that talks over the transfer of Bolton's Israeli centre back Tal Ben Haim had fallen through, however.

The Portuguese's talent for showmanship, a colourful turn of phrase and a nose for conflict contrasts sharply with Abramovich's publicity-shy demeanour.

But, however much the Stamford Bridge crowd chant his name or the players pledge loyalty their coach, Mourinho knows it is the owner who has the final say.

As he commented last week: ''It's not my club. I am just the manager.'' Reuters PM GC0919