Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho appears to have taken a fresh swipe at the record of Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger.

The rival bosses have a chequered history, with Mourinho last year labelling Wenger as a "specialist in failure", while the pair snubbed one another after the Community Shield earlier this month.

It has been a testing week for Mourinho, who has faced criticism over his decision to drop team doctor Eva Carneiro and physio Jon Fearn from matchday duty, but attentions return to the pitch when they face title rivals Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

Mourinho was asked whether he was surprised by the fact that City had handed a new contract to manager Manuel Pellegrini, to which he replied: "Why? Some other clubs, they have disappointed for 15 years and the manager is the same."

It was ostensibly a thinly veiled dig at Wenger, whose team last won the Premier League in the 2003-04 season, although Arsenal have secured back-to-back FA Cup trophies.

Mourinho also spoke about the strength in depth in the top flight and says that champions Chelsea have the "moral conditions" to spend big in the transfer market should they wish.

"In the Premier League if you win the title, how many teams are able to react against that? A lot of them can react," he added.

"You can go to Germany, how many teams can really react against Bayern Munich? In France, how many teams can react against Paris St-Germain’s power?

"Here, Man City won [in 2014] and Chelsea was not happy, Man United was not happy, Arsenal was not happy and Liverpool was not happy. Chelsea [brought in] Diego Costa, Fabregas, Courtois. Arsenal - Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil.

"This season Chelsea are champions; Liverpool and Man United bought. Arsenal, Petr Cech. People react. Man City, the first thing they did in the summer was Sterling.

"[Chelsea's] board has worked so well over the years in making money with sales that if somebody has the right - the moral right - to do that, then I say that Chelsea is one of them.

"You sell [Gael] Kakuta to Sevilla for a few million, you sell [Oriol] Romeu to Southampton for some more millions. You sell another player to another club for £5m.

"Even then you are not speaking about David Luiz, Felipe Luis. If one day Chelsea wants to make a very important buy Chelsea has economical conditions for that and also moral conditions for that."