'They see when you're committed' - Jose Mourinho breaks silence on Chelsea fans' 'fair' chants for him to replace Mauricio Pochettino

A section of disenchanted Chelsea fans were heard chanting Mourinho's name during the club's 2-2 draw against Brentford in the Premier League earlier this month. The Portuguese manager is currently without a club after his unceremonious sacking from AS Roma in January.

Mourinho - who managed the west London club twice in the past - has now broken his silence on the fans calling for his comeback to Stamford Bridge, which he feels is a "fair" reaction to the club's current struggles.

Speaking to Fabrizio Romano, Mourinho said: "The first feeling is I always say that the best thing football has is the fans. Because the fans don’t make money with football – they spend money with football! Sometimes they spend money that the family needs and they make sacrifices because of their passion for football and especially for the passion for their clubs.

"So normally they are fair. When the club’s fans don’t like the players or don’t like the coach, for some reason, it’s not because of beautiful eyes, it’s not because of a handsome guy. They love it, or they don’t love it, for some reason. In my case, independent of results – of course, I had the luck always to have something to celebrate, something for the fans to have a good memory of me – but I think something that they see is when you are committed to them."

While the Blues' failure to find success under Pochettino has left the fans at Stamford Bridge frustrated, it is unlikely that the club will part ways with the Argentine any time soon. They have dropped into the bottom half of the Premier League, but still have a chance to qualify for European football by winning the FA Cup as they are set to face Manchester City in a huge semi-final tie.

Pochettino's side will be back in action after the international break during the weekend as they take on Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday. Mourinho, meanwhile, will continue his search for a new job amid links with clubs in Saudi Arabia and the Portugal national team.