Drogba: Mourinho Return Would be Fun for Chelsea Story

Didier Drogba has admitted for the first time that he would welcome the return of Jose Mourinho to Stamford Bridge, saying it would be "fun" to have the Portuguese back in west London.

Drogba ensured caretaker manager Roberto di Matteo's first Premier League game in charge got off to the perfect start with a well-taken goal as Chelsea beat 10-man Stoke on Saturday.

And the Cote d'Ivore international told Sky Sports after the game that he would be happy to work with former manager Mourinho again, should he decide to return at the end of the season.

"There is a lot of speculation - him [Mourinho], [Rafael] Benitez, all these managers. It would be nice [to have Mourinho back]; it would be fun for the story. Let's see what happens," Drogba told Sky Sports News.

Chelsea captain John Terry also added that he would be keen to work with Mourinho again and insists that the club's senior players did not contribute to Andre Villas-Boas' departure from the club.

"It's all speculation at the moment; obviously he [Mourinho] was a fantastic manager and a very good man-manager as well. But Robbie [Di Matteo] has come in and brought Eddie Newton in as well and they're doing a great job, and the target really is to focus on the next two months and to get the club in the position we all want to be in which is [qualifying for the] Champions League next year," Terry is quoted in the Daily Mail.

"In all clubs, when players don't play, there's always misunderstandings and people upset about not being played.

"I think because it's Chelsea, people have got this thing about the senior players, [that they] have got a massive influence and I can assure you that's not the case and it hasn't been since I've been at the football club."

Meanwhile, former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez believes his Champions League success makes him an ideal candidate for the vacant Chelsea job.

Benitez guided Liverpool to the European crown in 2005 and the Spaniard insists his record with the Reds and former club Valencia (where he won the UEFA Cup in 2004) should impress Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.

"What are they [Chelsea] looking for? Champions of Europe," Benitez is quoted on the BBC.

"So if they have someone that can guarantee that they will win a lot of games, especially in the Champions League, I think they will be happy."