Roman Abramovich risks harming his relationship with
Chelsea fans if Jose Mourinho's leaves Stamford Bridge, according
to the man who helped the Russian buy the club.
Chelsea have won two Premierships since Abramovich bought the club
in 2003 but there have been suggestions his enthusiasm has dwindled
after he missed a host of games at the turn of the year.
His relationship with Mourinho has been reported to be strained and
Keith Harris, who was an advisor on Abramovich's takeover deal,
said: "There can only be one winner, but it depends on how you
define winning.
"If Abramovich decides he's not going to stick with the manager
then he's got to put his hand in his pocket to do that. Whether he
loses fans for doing so is another matter."
Harris, the former Football League chairman who now works for
investment bank Seymour Pierce, added: "It's no more than a smell,
but the smell is that it's not the enthusiastic pursuit that it was
when he bought it three-and-a-half years ago.
"If that enthusiasm has gone, then I would imagine the financial
burden is not as attractive as it was."