JOSE MOURINHO and Roman Abramovich have ended their stand-off after clear-the-air talks were held earlier this month. The Chelsea manager said this weekend that everything is fine between the pair whose fractious relationship destabilised the club last season.

Until they met at Stamford Bridge, Mourinho and Abramovich had spoken just once in 2007 – and only then during a chance encounter following an FA Cup tie – as the club’s billionaire owner rejected a series of requests from the coach to talk through Chelsea’s problems.

“I had a very good and long meeting with him [Abramovich],” said Mourinho. “I think it’s better one very good and long meeting than 10 short and bad. There are no doubts. I know what he thinks, I know what he feels, I know what he wants. He knows me as a person, he knows me as a manager, he knows the way I work . . . The air was cleared.”

In a further indication of his renewed commitment to the club, Mourinho revealed that he and his family had, for the first time, bought a property in London.

Mourinho and Abramovich originally fell out over what the manager deemed unacceptable interference in first-team affairs, specifically transfer policy and the best way to address the sustained underperformance of record signing Andriy Shevchenko. Mourinho’s future at the club appeared limited as Chelsea sought to recruit a less fractious coach, while the Portuguese made it clear he was prepared to leave if the remaining 3½ years of his contract worth £5.2m per annum were paid up in full.

While success in keeping an injury-depleted side in contention for all four major trophies until late into last season – they eventually won two, the FA Cup and Carling Cup – and the desire of his young children to remain in London saw Mourinho reconsider plans to exit the club, Abramovich’s steadfast refusal to discuss their problems had affected the security of his position at Chelsea until their head-to-head. The pair are understood to have discussed the appointment of Avram Grant as director of football, player recruitment for the upcoming season and Mourinho’s occasionally belligerent approach to public pronouncements.

The former Israel coach Grant was subsequently appointed and Florent Malouda signed from Olympique Lyonnais for €20m (£13.5m). Arjen Robben, who Mourinho previously believed would have to be sold to fund Malouda’s transfer, has so far remained at the club.

Mourinho also asked that improved contract offers be made to Frank Lampard and John Terry. “They want to stay, Chelsea wants them to stay, I want them to stay. Maybe tomorrow one of them signs a new contract,” he said. Terry’s principal representative arrived in Los Angeles on Thursday and will remain in the city during Chelsea’s stay to attend to “several business matters”.

Mourinho indicated that he no longer regarded Michael Ballack as a first-choice selection. “He’s injured so when he comes back he will start from zero and will face some of the other boys already in top condition and playing football, so I don’t think it will be easy for him,” he said.