The assistant manager conceded that Jose Mourinho's departure almost convinced him it was time to move on.

"Last October when Jose Mourinho left I was 90 per cent certain I was going to leave," he told the Daily Star Sunday.

"But then by the end of the season I wanted to stay because I didn't want to leave on a blank season.

"After a season like that I think it would have been too hard to move. I wanted to put things right."

Clarke believes his feelings are shared by many of the players, with the likes of Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba opting to stay despite interest from elsewhere.

He explained: "You can imagine the pain in the group. Now they have the opportunity to go out and put everything right."