Chelsea romp to title and the future looks blue for Mourinho

As expected Chelsea were crowned Premier League champions on Sunday, beating Crystal Palace 1-0 at Stamford Bridge to wrap up the title race with three games to go.

With Chelsea now tipped to embark on a period of domination in England, midfielder Cesc Fabregas has claimed manager Jose Mourinho is the best he has played for.

The words of the former Arsenal skipper will not go down well with his previous managers, who include two of the Special One's biggest rivals – Arsene Wenger and Pep Guardiola.

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However, Fabregas credited Mourinho with providing the "edge" that former bosses have been unable to.

"He just loves winning," said the midfielder. "I'm not saying other managers I have played under don't but he has some edge that goes above anyone else I have ever been with. The mentality shows in every single training session, every game. I now understand why he has won what he has in his career.

"A manager who can motivate a player every three days when you play 60 games in a season - that's not easy, trust me."

Chelsea can look forward to enjoying the fruits of Mourinho's labours for many years to come after the Blues entered into negotiations over a contract extension that will keep him at Stamford Bridge until 2019.

"With the title now wrapped up, attention can turn to securing Mourinho’s long-term future and the Portuguese has already made it clear he wants to stay at Stamford Bridge," says the Daily Telegraph.

However, The Times was bemused by Mourinho's demeanour during the Palace game. "He seemed to be a little irked by his own fans," says the paper. "He pointed towards the singing away fans and joked to the fourth official: 'We're playing at home.'

"He spent most of the game standing by the touchline with both hands in his pockets, sitting down when Eden Hazard won his penalty."

However, the future looks bright for Chelsea, and Sky pundit Gary Neville has warned that if the Blues are successful in their pursuit of Gareth Bale in the summer then their Premier League rivals will be in a "little bit of trouble in the next three or four years".

"Neville, who ranks Chelsea's academy as the best in the country, feels the combination of their impressive youngsters and the potential big-money signing of Bale would spell trouble for their title rivals," reports the Daily Mail.