Mourniho exit=Players exodus?

The news of Mourinho's exit came as a bolt from the blue to me. Yes, everyone knew that Mourinho wasn't too happy lately at Stamford Bridge, but I never thought that he would leave, or that Abramovich would fire him, whichever the case may be, at such a crucial point in the season. I expected Mourinho to stay at least another season, take another crack at the Champion's League trophy that has so far eluded him in his three full seasons with Chelsea, try to regain the Premier League title, and leave England on a high, justifying "the Special One" name he gave himself.
Where does this leave Chelsea, and the Premier League? That can only be confirmed in the weeks to come. It depends heavily on how the Chelsea players react to their new manager. A lot of them were very close to Mourinho, and his departure could result in many wanting to leave the club. This could be noted in Ricardo Carvalho's statement, "It is a very sad day for me and the team. I had a big offer from Real Madrid but I stayed at Chelsea because of Mourinho." Didier Drogba is known to be furious over Mourinho's sudden exit, and Frank Lampard had put contract talks on hold at the start of the season. Could Chelsea soon be without several players that defined their game during the three seasons Mourinho spent there? Well, at least not till January till the time the transfer widow opens again. Grant, previously the coach of the Israeli national team, has a tough job of gaining respect of his players till then, or else Chelsea will be in turmoil.
As a Manchester United fan, I am elated by Mourinho's exit. For one, it means I no longer have to bear his arrogant antics. Also, this means Chelsea come into the important clash with United on Sunday distracted. I believe this could give United an edge over Chelsea this weekend, although when Ranieri took over in 2000 and faced the same fixture on his debut, Chelsea scraped a 3-3 draw. If Chelsea end up like Real Madrid, hiring and firing their managers every now and again, it could mean that all the hard work Mourinho had put in during his time would be undone. The hierarchy prior to Abramovich's take-over would return, with Arsenal and Liverpool already showing signs of becoming the power teams they previously were. The nature of this season, and maybe even the next few, could well be decided in the next couple of months.