Chelsea transfers: Mourinho explains his vision for Matic and Salah
Chelsea transfers: Jose Mourinho explains why the Blues have moved for cup-tied Nemanja Matic and Mohamed Salah
Jose Mourinho believes Chelsea must prioritise building a title-winning squad ahead of focusing on the Champions League this season.
The Blues signed Nemanja Matic in a £21m deal from Benfica last week before agreeing an £11m fee to sign Mohamed Salah from Basel on Thursday, subject to a medical and finalising personal terms with the winger.
I think I can move the pieces and still have a good team to play in the Champions League
Jose Mourinho
Matic and Salah are cup-tied for the Champions League, whilst Mourinho’s European squad was further weakened after Kevin De Bruyne joined Werder Bremen. Meanwhile, Michael Essien and Juan Mata are on a verge of completing moves to AC Milan and Manchester United.
But the 50-year-old defended his January deals, adding that he doesn’t want to recruit players who are available to play in the Champions League but not part of his long-term vision for the west London side.
“We are prioritising the evolution of the team and the future of the team,” Mourinho said.
“If, now, we don’t buy Matic because he can’t play in the Champions League and we go to a player who can but is not a player we want, we are not prioritising what is fundamental for us, which is the future of the team.
“If they can play Champions League obviously that’s the perfect situation, but the most important thing is that we do the right deal, choose the right player, build the right squad.
“We are building a puzzle and we want to complete the puzzle in the summer or in two transfer windows, we don’t want to complete it in five or six transfer windows or in December 2018, we want to do the right things.
“Salah cannot play in the Champions League but he can play in the Premier League so we can rest Hazard or Willian in the Premier League.
“Matic cannot play in the Champions League but Mikel can, so probably the game before we play Galatasaray I don’t play Mikel, I play Matic.
“I think I can move the pieces and still have a good team to play in the Champions League.”
