Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck has defended his club by claiming that they have not been too quick to sack previous managers at Stamford Bridge.

Current interim manager Rafael Benitez, who is expected to leave once his contract expires in May, is the ninth boss of Roman Abramovich's reign at the Blues having taken over the club in 2003.

The Londoners have been widely criticised for the dismissals of a number past chiefs, but Buck is adamant that they are not eager to hire and fire.

"I know we have fired what most people would say are a lot of managers - terminated the relationship is a better way to describe it - but we've always thought long and hard when we've done it," Buck told Sky Sports News. "It's always difficult, it's always sad when a relationship is terminated.

"We don't look back, we always look forward and see where we're going, and figure out how we get there.

"We certainly believe in stability in managers, but it has to be with the right manager."

Buck also admitted that Chelsea are "open minded" about Jose Mourinho returning to the club.