Chelsea defender Tal Ben Haim said he would never have joined the club if he had known former boss Jose Mourinho was set to leave Stamford Bridge. The 26-year-old Israeli international was signed from Bolton on a free transfer last summer but within three months of his arrival Mourinho had departed.
Ben Haim has played just six games under Mourinho's successor Avram Grant since the turn of the year (with just two of those matches in the Premier League) and has not featured in the first team since an FA Cup tie against Huddersfield in mid-February.
He said: "Jose Mourinho was the reason I came to Chelsea and if I'd have known Avram Grant was going to be the coach then I would have signed for another club. It was Jose who brought me here and only he and I know the conversation we had when he first tried to sign me last January.
"The fact is while Jose was the coach I played most of the games and people who know mw know that I wouldn't have come here to be a reserve."
Meanwhile, former Chelsea defender Paul Elliott says Manchester United would be worthy winners of the Premier League this season – even if it pains him to admit it.
Elliott said: "When you look at the football Manchester United have played this season, there is no doubt they deserve to win the title. United have got determination, grit and nastiness but also the quality of their counter-attacking is breathtaking.
"That comes from their manager Sir Alex Ferguson. The football Chelsea played under Jose Mourinho was what I call winning football. United play winning football but they are easier on the eye.
"Chelsea have always been more functional and that hasn't changed under Avram Grant. If I watch a Chelsea game I look at the players individually rather than collectively. Individually I am entertained, but there is none of that impetus and enthusiasm I see with United or Arsenal.
"Mourinho was at the club for three years and turned Chelsea into winners with a winning habit and a winning mentality. But the manner in which you win is important too.
"That is what makes United head and shoulders above everyone else in the Premier League. Chelsea have tremendous power but there isnt much variety in their game. Fundamentally, they have played the same way the whole time – neither Chelsea or Arsenal have a Plan B."
Elliott believes Chelsea will have to alter their tactical approach if they are to compete with United in the future.
He added: "If you want to win the title you need more variety to your game. United have combined dominant, winning football with great counter-attacking ability. As for Chelsea I think they are at a crossroads now. Where do they go from here? They had an excellent mid-season spell but things in football can change overnight.
"Managers are judged on results and Grant is no different. The result against Wigan handed the initiative in the title race to United and, even allowing for the psychological impact of losing Frank Lampard just before the kick-off, that doesn't explain their first half performance."
