Jose Mourinho sacked: Cesc Fabregas again rejects claim he would 'rather lose than win' for former Chelsea manager

Fabregas was accused of being the player behind the claim but has twice stated that it was not him

Cesc Fabregas and Jose Mourinho's relationship has come under intense scrutiny since the latter was sacked by Chelsea (Getty Images)

Cesc Fabregas has once again defended himself against accusations of being the player behind the claim of wanting to “lose rather than win” under Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, with his representative suggesting that the reports are “not true”.

Fabregas took to his personal Facebook account to dispel rumours that he was the ‘first-team player [who] would rather lose than win under Mourinho’, which was reported by BBC radio host Garry Richardson in November.

Richardson, speaking on the BBC’s Today Programme, reiterated the claim, saying: “As I mentioned on BBC Radio six weeks ago, one player said, ‘I’d rather lose than win for Mourinho’. Said in the heat of the moment... but it summed up the atmosphere.”

But while Richardson did not name any names, former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin was on hand to lay the blame firmly at the Spaniard’s doorstep.

“Yeah, that was Cesc Fabregas, wasn’t it?” said Nevin.

He added: “I thought it came out it was Cesc Fabregas. If it was, he’d been one of the strongest and it just shows in his game. I found this out myself in the last couple of days that you do sometimes take on face value what people tell you and it’s not always the truth.”

However, the Daily Mail report that Fabregas’s agent has labelled the claims as “not true”, despite Mourinho being sacked earlier in the week after what Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo described as “palpable discord between manager and players”.

Fabregas denied the claims on Twitter as well, stating last month: “I would like to clarify that contrary to a few reports form [sic] some online websites, I am extremely happy at Chelsea and have an excellent relationship with the manager.

“There maybe [sic] certain individuals from the outside trying to destabilise this club but I strongly believe that we will bounce back and come good again.”

Both Eden Hazard and Fabregas have been at the centre of controversy surrounding Mourinho’s exit, with many Chelsea fans believing player pressure led by the pair was responsible for his dismissal. Neither player has scored in the Premier League this season with Chelsea’s alarming lack of goals largely to blame for their terrible form this season.

Richardson appeared on Sportsweek last month to make the revelation about a senior player who was not willing to win for Mourinho, and he also highlighted the tense relationship between Mourinho and Hazard following the decision to drop the Belgium international from the starting line-up.

“The information was actually passed to me by a football contact. I was told that Jose Mourinho's relationship with many of his players is at rock bottom,” Richardson said.

“I was told they're fed up with the way he's been dealing with some of them. They're fed up with his outbursts. I was told that his relationship particularly with Eden Hazard was under immense strain.”

Guus Hiddink remains the favourite to replace Mourinho until the end of the season, with the Blues eyeing the likes of Diego Simeone and Pep Guardiola to take the manager’s job full time for the 2016/17 campaign.

Meanwhile, Mourinho has today issued a statement to reveal his intent of getting back into management as soon as possible after confirming that he will not take a sabbatical, and also rejected Chelsea’s claim that he left by mutual consent.

"He [Mourinho] will not be taking a sabbatical, he isn't tired, he doesn't need it,” read a statement issued by Mourinho’s agency.

"He is very positive and is already looking forward.

"Jose Mourinho is pleased that he returned to Chelsea because he was able to give the fans another Premier League title, which they had not won for many years," the statement added.

"He is immensely proud of his eight trophies at Chelsea, and thanks the fans for all their support throughout his two spells at the club.

"During his career, Jose has sometimes chosen to leave a club, but only at Chelsea has the club decided that he should leave."