Jose Mourinho has offered to end his war of words with Arsene Wenger with an apology for calling him a ''voyeur'' - but only if the Arsenal boss also apologises for months of perceived criticism of Chelsea.

Mourinho stressed he had meant no malicious personal attack on Wenger, a point which was also made in a direct phone call at boardroom level.

The Chelsea boss moved to draw a line under the unseemly spat in accepting that both managers had problems with their teams to worry about instead, while stressing his respect for Wenger.

However, he still made clear his displeasure at Wenger's repeated barbed comments about Chelsea, especially last season's call for Roman Abramovich to show more moral leadership following the tapping-up of Ashley Cole.

Mourinho declared: ''If he is ready to apologise for quotes about Chelsea, then I'm ready to do the same.

''But of course it's not a personal thing. The intention was not to hurt the man - of course not.

''I have respect for him as a human being as he's a successful man and nobody has helped him to arrive where he's arrived. As a manager too. It's the same, he's done very good things.

''But there have been too many quotes about Chelsea - some hard, like for example that one about the moral leadership, some funny, like when he said I'd only won one Premiership title. I cannot win two in one season!

''But it's enough now. I have problems to solve in my club as we lost a game and I want to do better and he has problems to solve in his club as they're not doing as well as they need to do in the Premiership.

''It's better for us and them to forget all this.''

Wenger has been particularly upset by the personal nature of the Chelsea boss's comments last weekend.

However, Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon stressed in a telephone conversation with Arsenal managing director Keith Edelman yesterday that no personal slight was intended by Mourinho.

Mourinho had simply been responding to what he perceives as repeated slights on Chelsea made by the Arsenal boss, prompting him to claim Wenger was obsessed with the Blues.

However, Wenger bristled at the unwise use of the word ''voyeur'', branding Mourinho's comments as ''out of order, disconnected with reality and disrespectful''.

Kenyon was therefore keen to attempt to defuse the situation, especially after the Football Association had called both clubs to urge restraint from their managers.

The next step is up to Wenger, who has so far refused to back down from his threat of action against the Chelsea boss after their verbal spat.

''At the moment, I'm focused on our games. Then we have a break and I will think about the situation,'' he revealed after his side's midweek win against Sparta Prague.

''I love football and what is important for me is to focus on the game. But if I'm attacked then I respond.''

Wenger insisted he had ''ignored'' Mourinho's latest comments, in which he revealed that he had compiled a lengthy dossier of perceived slights against the Blues by Arsenal.

However, when asked about the FA's intervention, Wenger added: ''I don't know what I've done wrong so I don't know what the FA intend to do.

''I don't want to offend anyone but if you ask me a question and I don't answer it, I feel that I'm not polite with you.''

* Anderlecht striker Nenad Jestrovic intends to launch a strong defence against a UEFA investigation into his sending off for alleged racist abuse of Liverpool's Mohamed Sissoko.

The 29-year-old was sent off five minutes after coming on in his side's 3-0 defeat at Anfield on Tuesday after a verbal clash with Mali international midfielder Sissoko.

Referee Kim Milton Nielsen cited racial abuse for his decision to show a straight red card,