Wenger - Mourinho exit was brutal and surprising

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Arsène Wenger was surprised by the departure of Jose Mourinho but not the manner in which he left.

For much of last season, newspaper back pages had been filled with speculation surrounding the Chelsea managers position. However there was little to suggest the Portuguese manager would depart so dramatically late on Wednesday night.

It has come brutally, said Wenger. But that is always the case, because no-one says they will sack you in 30 days. Many times it is expected because you haven't done well for a long period. In this case, it seemed to be more down to internal differences than bad results. Internal differences are always very difficult to assess from outside. But it was brutal, sudden and surprising for me.

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Wenger - Jose brought his club into title fight

Arsène Wenger admits he will miss Jose Mourinho.

The Portuguese manager left Chelsea late on Wednesday night ending a successful three-year spell in charge at Stamford Bridge. Managers of rivals clubs can rarely be great friends however Wengers respect was obvious when, at his pre-match press conference on Friday, he was asked if hed miss Mourinho.

Yes, he replied, because you want to be in the best league in the world, and you want to be confronted with the best managers. His arrival at Chelsea brought another club fighting for the top level. Before, it was Arsenal and Man United but then with Chelsea and Liverpool - and now some other clubs - joining in it makes a good league really interesting.

You can have money and not be successful. He inherited a good team that had finished second in the Premier League. There was an influx of money but then he had his quality. When you add the three together that made it a successful Chelsea. It is always difficult to judge how big your part of the success is, but if you are bad [at your job] then you are not successful.