Former Chelsea man Eidur Gudjohnsen has hailed Jose Mourinho’s arrival at Stamford Bridge as the biggest change during his time and the club, and says the Portuguese made the squad realise it was about time they won something.
Gudjohnsen had already been at Chelsea for some time when Mourinho was appointed in June 2004, replacing Claudio Ranieri.
While he admits Mourinho inherited a good squad to work with in west London, the Icelandic says it was the perfect time for the ‘Special One’ to arrive, and that he made them realise their potential.
“That was the biggest change during my time at Chelsea,” Gudjohnsen told the Chelsea website.
“He inherited a good squad, some good players arrived with him, and he brought a change in mentality to the players who had been there a few years.
“The core of the team was Frank [Lampard], John [Terry], and me. We had been together for three or four years, and we were all maturing as well and coming to our peak.
“It was the perfect timing for Mourinho to come in and make us realise it was about time we won titles.”
Joining the Blues in 2000, Gudjohnsen saw both sides of the club, pre and post-Roman Abramovich’s investment, and he says that’s where he began to realise expectations were on the rise.
He added: “The pressure changed. That’s when we realised not even second place might be enough,”
“The feeling was it went from a big club to a massive club.”
In the weeks and months following Abramovich’s investment in the club, Chelsea allowed then manager Ranieri to spend freely on top talent, though Gudjohnsen says he was never concerned for his spot in the side.
“I wasn’t concerned,” he continued.
“I had prepared myself well for it, both mentally and physically.
“I remember Ranieri coming in and saying ‘Eidur, if you want to leave, I will help you leave. We will find a good club for you, you might have a difficult year’.
“I said ‘don’t worry, I’m fine - I’ll be here longer than you!’
