Jose's future back in doubt

The future of Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is cast into fresh doubt today by revelations over the role of chief executive Peter Kenyon in heading a delegation to see former Germany World Cup coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

Chelsea visit Newcastle this afternoon with a chance to put pressure on Manchester United after the leaders drew 1-1 yesterday with Middlesbrough.

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Chelsea's attempts to reassure Mourinho, his squad and their fans that he has a future at Stamford Bridge will be undermined by revelations over Kenyon's presence within the past fortnight at talks with Klinsmann — and the decision to involve Avram Grant, the man whose forthcoming appointment as Chelsea's technical director was vehemently opposed by Mourinho, in the high-level trip to Los Angeles.

Grant attended the meeting with Klinsmann, 42, the former Bayern Munich, Tottenham and Germany striker, even though he is still employed by Portsmouth in the capacity he will take up at Stamford Bridge next season.

Kenyon's response to suggestions that Mourinho is to be replaced has been a carefully worded insistence that "no lists of candidates have been drawn up; no one has been offered the job".

But the chief executive's presence at the meeting with Klinsmann will do nothing to reassure Mourinho that, despite his falling out with Chelsea's billionaire owner Roman Abramovich he still has a future with the team he has taken to two Premiership titles.

Although it has been widely reported that representatives of Abramovich's investment company, Millhouse Capital, including managing director and Chelsea board member Eugene Tenenbaum, crossed the Atlantic to meet Klinsmann it has never been established until now that Kenyon himself headed the delegation.

The presence of Israeli-born Grant, who took time off from his duties at Fratton Park to join the party to see Klinsmann, will surely disturb Mourinho, despite the manager's apparent change of mind over opposing Grant's appointment.

Kenyon's backing for Mourinho — "Jose has a contract to 2010 and he wants to stay. We are not going to sack him; he has the club's support" — has a hollow ring in view of his role in what turned out to be an abortive trip.

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Klinsmann, out of football since he quit as Germany's coach despite taking the hosts to third at last summer's World Cup, has decided to examine several offers from national associations as well as clubs.

If the likelihood now is that Mourinho will stay, it will be on the back of an uneasy truce with Abramovich and continuing speculation that all is not well in the boss's relationship with Piet de Visser, the Russian's personal adviser, and Frank Arnesen, the club's head of scouting and youth development.

Now it seems Mourinho could have another potential enemy in Grant, who, judging from his participation in the talks with Klinsmann, has a big part to play at Chelsea.

Grant has been marking time at Portsmouth where, despite his title of technical director, he is allowed only a peripheral role on the training pitch by Pompey boss Harry Redknapp.

Grant was Israel's head coach when introduced to Abramovich through agent Pini Zahavi, and the two men are said to be in almost daily contact.

De Visser, Grant and Arnesen represent a highly influential triumvirate who could make life difficult for Mourinho.