Matt Hughes

José Mourinho dramatically left Chelsea with immediate effect yesterday after a final bust-up with Roman Abramovich. Late last night there was growing evidence that the manager had not walked out on the club but had been dismissed.

Mourinho is understood to have contacted five senior players in the afternoon to tell them that he was leaving, without offering any detailed explanation for his sudden departure.

He is believed to have phoned Frank Lampard before sending text messages to several other players, telling them only that he had had enough and would not see them again. The exact circumstances behind his departure are already being disputed, but Jorge Mendes, Mourinho’s agent, is expected to fly to London today to negotiate a payoff.

The news of Mourinho’s departure appears to have taken many of Chelsea’s senior executives by surprise. Peter Kenyon, the chief executive, Bruce Buck, the chairman, and Abramovich’s key aide, Eugene Tenenbaum, were called to an emergency meeting at Stamford Bridge last night to discuss the crisis. That meeting broke up at 1.20 this morning and Tenenbaum left without making any comment.

The majority of Chelsea’s staff and players had been enjoying a relaxing evening at a cinema at Fulham Broadway watching a screening of Blue Revolution, a new documentary about the Abramovich years, but were called away to deal with revolutionary events of their own. Abramovich, the billionaire owner, had cancelled a business trip earlier in the day to hold talks with Tenenbaum, although they were initially thought to be about the poor attendance for Tuesday’s Champions League draw with Rosenborg rather than the manager’s future.

The club confirmed Mourinho's departure in the early hours of this morning when they posted a statement on the club's official website. The statement simply read: "Chelsea Football Club and Jose Mourinho have agreed to part company today (Thursday) by mutual consent."

Mourinho’s relationship with Abramovich appears to have become fractured beyond repair. He has barely been on speaking terms with the Russian since a huge row erupted in January over a lack of funds to sign players during the transfer window, Mourinho’s reluctance to play Andriy Shevchenko and the owner’s desire to bring in Avram Grant to work with the misfiring striker. The former Israel coach was recruited in the summer as director of football as a fragile peace broke out, but it has proved to be brief.

Mourinho and Abramovich are said to have exchanged strong words after Saturday’s goalless draw against Blackburn Rovers. Abramovich spent time searching for a replacement as their relationship soured at the end of last season, making a firm offer to Jürgen Klinsmann, but he reluctantly decided to give Mourinho one more season.

Mourinho — whose ?5.2 million-a-year contract was to expire in 2010 — has long since concluded that he was not being allowed to do his job. His authority was undermined by Abramovich’s decision to recruit Frank Arnesen from Tottenham Hotspur as director of scouting and youth development in May 2005 and further eroded by the signing of Shevchenko and the arrival of Grant, who is well placed to take over as a caretaker manager.

Mourinho’s departure brings to an end a stormy three-year reign during which he ended Chelsea’s 50-year wait for the league title, following up with a second championship, but failed to realise Abramovich’s dream of conquering Europe. Chelsea must search for a replacement, with Guus Hiddink, Klinsmann and Didier Deschamps, the former Juventus coach, likely to be targeted for one of the most highly rewarded but high pressure jobs in world football.