London – Jose Mourinho committed his long-term future to Chelsea on Monday, insisting he did not want to be a manager anywhere else.
The 50-year-old Portuguese, who started his second spell in charge of the London club ahead of the current season, said he'd only leave Stamford Bridge if sacked by the Blues.
“I'm not here thinking about my next move because I don't want to have a next move,” Mourinho told Monday's London Evening Standard newspaper.
“I will have a next move if and when Chelsea decides it's time for that.
“I'm here to stay. I belong to Chelsea, Chelsea belong to me. I gave a lot to Chelsea in the past but they also gave a lot to me.
“This is a different professional relationship,” added Mourinho, whose current Chelsea side are just a point behind Premier League leaders' Arsenal ahead of the Gunners match away to Aston Villa later Monday.
Mourinho's fist spell in charge of Chelsea, from 2004 to 2007, saw him guide the west London club to back-to-back Premier League titles, one FA Cup and two League Cup triumphs.
But a lack of European success contributed to a parting of the ways with Roman Abramovich, the Russian billionaire who remains Chelsea's owner.
After leaving Chelsea, Mourinho, a Champions League-winning manager at Portuguese side Porto in 2004, steered Italian side Inter Milan to European club football's biggest prize in 2010 and then joined Spanish giants Real Madrid.
Yet for all he spent five years away from Chelsea, Mourinho said his heart remained with the Blues.
“We kept our house (in London) from last time and, although we tried to hide it, we came lots of times,” said Mourinho.
“The success I had in my career gave me the possibility to choose my destiny.
“When I made the decision I didn't know if Chelsea would be available and if the door would be open but when it did, the picture was perfect for me.”
Mourinho, whose son Jose Jr is an academy player with Chelsea's local rivals Fulham, said the quality of life he enjoyed in London was a key factor in his return to Stamford Bridge.
“I'm not a person with a big social life. I just want the simple things in life but even the simple things I lost in Italy, Spain and Portugal,” he explained.
“I think London is the only place in Europe where I can keep these little things of life. I can go to school and wait for my son and daughter and the parents feel me as another parent.
“I can go to walk on Sloane Street or Old Bond Street and if somebody disturbs me it is not an English person for sure. It's some tourist that sees me and they can't control themselves.
“The English person is much more polite and respectful in relation to the private life of the person.” – AFP