Mourinho hints at longer stewardship of Roman empire

The improved contract he signed in the summer will feel like an eternity to his rivals should he keep the Premiership champions on track to retain their title and that was before he sent out clear signals that he could stay at Stamford Bridge beyond 2009.

He said: "Maybe I stay here more than five years. I'm enjoying it a lot. I think at this moment I don't find a better place to work."

Mourinho added that the only other job that would appeal would be the national team at the end of his career. However, for now Chelsea have his full attention. With the team runaway leaders of the Premiership, Mourinho revealed last night that the origins of the club's success lay in the first couple of days of his leadership. He joined in July last year and, despite having won the Champions' League with Porto, knew he had to win over the Chelsea players quickly. He said: "I arrived here as European champion and still there were doubts about me. I knew I had to win. I would be under fire because Chelsea is Chelsea and everybody will be thinking about Chelsea failing again.

"The players believed in me soon. After two or three days. I think things started very well, I was open to them, I had a lot of communication with them, I felt they adapted well to our way of training, we started preparing friendly matches as we prepare Premiership matches and they were adapting very quickly to that."

Yet with Abramovich's words ringing in his ears, Mourinho admitted that he has one eye on handing Chelsea a legacy. "Chelsea is not just me," he said. "They signed me to improve the football situation of the club, that's the challenge.

"When I leave Chelsea I want to leave a very good situation behind and I think what I want is what Roman wants and what Peter Kenyon [the chief executive] wants. It's the reason why we came here. Chelsea doesn't end with the end of a player or with the end of a manager. There is no problem with that."

The striker Didier Drogba and winger Arjen Robben are doubtful for tomorrow's trip to Everton.