A more cautious Jose Mourinho transformed himself into "the Happy One" on Monday as he faced the media for the first time since he began his second spell as manager of Premier League giants Chelsea. Mourinho dazzled the British press when he first joined the club in 2004, earning himself the tag of "The Special One" after describing himself as a "special" manager in his introductory press conference.

Jose Mourinho said he was returning to Chelsea with the passion of a supporter after being appointed manager of the Premier League heavyweights for the second time on Monday. The 50-year-old Portuguese, who led the club to unprecedented success between 2004 and 2007, succeeds interim coach Rafael Benitez and has signed a four-year contract. His Stamford Bridge comeback was one of the worst-kept secrets in European football, with weeks of media speculation culminating in his admission on Spanish television late on Sunday that he had agreed to move back to west London.

Jose Mourinho has said he expects his return to Chelsea as manager to be confirmed later this week. The Portuguese took charge of Real Madrid for the final time on Saturday after a three-year spell in charge and arrived in London on Sunday to finalise the deal. "I cannot speak as manager of Chelsea because I am not. I am going to London and I think that between Monday and the end of the week I will be the coach of Chelsea," he told Spanish television programme Punto Pelota in an interview released on Monday.

Jose Mourinho looks set to be welcomed back to Chelsea with open arms, but his reputation has been sullied during his three-year stint at Real Madrid and he will return to Stamford Bridge with several thorny issues to address. Having been released from his contract by Madrid, the charismatic but controversial Portuguese is now widely expected to return to Chelsea, with some British bookmakers offering odds of 20/1 on that he does so.