Mourinho's Blues in black as Chelsea launch new third kit for 2013-14

It's Blue, What Else Matters' was the campaign message for the launch of Chelsea's home strip but they've gone all dark with their latest number.
The west Londoners have revealed their third kit for the 2013-14 season, with Eden Hazard, Gary Cahill and Oscar doing the modelling, and it will be black socks, shorts and tops for selected away games over the next year.

Blues in black: Eden Hazard, Gary Cahill and Oscar at the launch of Chelsea's third kit for the new campaign

All black: Chelsea's third kit for the 2013-14 campaign

The Blues first debuted an all-black kit for the 2002-03 season when they finished fourth in the table, 16 points behind champions Manchester United, but with Jose Mourinho back in charge they will be banking on a better return this time.

Chelsea, in Indonesia on a pre-season tour, said on their website: 'The new kit is designed to represent "the future of football" with sleek matte black-on-black prints lining a mesh panel which allows for optimal ventilation. The futuristic design is further complimented by the metallic silver three stripes which run down the sleeves and the black and silver finish to the club badge.

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'The new design continues a tradition of black-based kits manufactured by adidas for Chelsea, since taking over the contract in 2006. Black is a colour long associated with the club as the first kits featured black socks until 1959.'

Their third strip follows a pattern among the Premier League big guns with Manchester City's away strip all black and United's black and 'midnight navy' (their words, not ours).

Chelsea launched their home kit back for next term back in April - in the traditional blue - with a number of Stamford Bridge stars getting covered in paint.

True Blues: (from left) David Luiz, Gary Cahill, Fernando Torres and Oscar modelled the new Chelsea home kit

Players agreed to be photographed and filmed for the shoot that took place at Halliford Studios in Surrey - a short drive from Chelsea's Cobham training ground.

Taking place over two days in February, each player spent two hours being covered with the blue fluid - with an odourless glycerine used rather than paint - and asked to do various poses for the shoot.

Goalkeeper Petr Cech said at the time: 'I can say that painted in blue, it shows how blue I can be, Chelsea is a huge part of my life and Chelsea Football Club has become like my second family.