Arsenal vs Chelsea: Secret texts 'told Jose Mourinho that Arsene Wenger did nothing'

The then-Chelsea manager had a mole in Arsenal's camp, according to a new book

Mourinho poses with his 2014/15 Premier League winners' medal (Getty)

Jose Mourinho claimed to have receive secret text messages from an Arsenal player telling him that his rival Arsène Wenger ‘does nothing’ in training, according to a new book about the Portuguese coach.

Jose Mourinho: Up Close and Personal, by the journalist Rob Beasley, has lifted the lid on the long-running rivalry between Mourinho and the Arsenal manager.

One extract, serialised in the Daily Mail, claims that Mourinho, then in charge of Chelsea, received messages from an unnamed Arsenal player during the 2014/15 season.

After the north London club’s impressive 2-0 win at Manchester City in January 2015, Mourinho told Beasley: “[One of the Arsenal players] sent me an SMS to say players did themselves, organised themselves during the week. Wenger did nothing.”

When asked by Beasley whether this information was accurate, Mourinho reportedly insisted it was “100 per cent”.

Wenger was praised for his side’s disciplined display at the Etihad Stadium, with some comparing the performance to that of Mourinho’s side a year earlier.

The victory kick-started Arsenal’s ultimately unsuccessful title challenge, with Wenger’s side finishing third and 13 points behind Chelsea, the eventual champions.

Mourinho’s claim to have been in contact with an Arsenal player follows his threat to ‘break Wenger’s face’, which is also revealed in Beasley’s book.

The Portuguese coach was irritated by Wenger questioning the fairness of Chelsea only selling Juan Mata to Manchester United after the two clubs had faced each other twice in the league.

Mourinho, now manager of United, told Beasley: “When Mr Wenger criticises Chelsea and Manchester United over the deal with Mata… I will find him one day outside a football pitch and I will break his face.”