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Monaco have had a €50 million (£35.5m) bid for Jose Mourinho rejected by Chelsea, according to a minority shareholder for the Ligue 1 club.

Alessandro Proto, an Italian businessman, claims to have met with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich in London for talks about Mourinho’s availability.
"We offered €50 million to have the coach immediately, but the request was €100m and that figure seems exaggerated," Proto Enterprises said in a statement to EFE.
The press release also claims that the offer was rejected because Mourinho was classed as “the best coach in the world” by Abramovich.
Mourinho is under pressure to deliver results after Saturday’s defeat to Liverpool at Stamford Bridge - their eighth in all competitions this season - left the club 15th in the Premier League.
"I have four years. In this case, three years and seven months,” said the Chelsea manager on Tuesday.
"Yes, I know why the results have been different but I can’t tell you because I’ll be here a long time. It’s a combination of factors. Some of them I can’t, I don’t even want to touch them — but yes I know."
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Chelsea's torrid start to the campaign continued as they were beaten 3-1 by Liverpool at Stamford Bridge - their sixth league defeat of the season - as the pressure on Mourinho was turned up another notch.
Mourinho refused to give an answer for seven of the nine questions asked in his post-match interview, and appeared to be unhappy with Liverpool's Lucas avoiding a red card on 68 minutes with the score at 1-1.
This is the latest in a long line of disagreements with the authorities with Mourinho recently fined £50,000 by the Football Association and given a one-match suspended stadium ban after comments about officials following the 3-1 home loss to Southampton.
Although Sky sources believe that his job is not under serious threat, Chelsea lie 15th in the Premier League after eleven games.
However, John Cross of the Sunday Mirror thinks Mourinho's behavior is potentially more damaging to the club than the results he's getting on the pitch.
"I think it's been embarrassing," Cross said on the Sunday Supplement. "He has been so condemning of the officials. That for me is more damaging to the football club than some of the results.
"It tarnishes the club's reputation that Roman Abramovich has been so determined to uphold. It surprises me how Mourinho has weathered that storm as some of paranoia comments are ridiculous and embarrassing.
"These ridiculous and embarrassing outbursts have to be reported [by the press]. Jose is writing his own headlines and writing his own death warrant. That's the long and short of it.
"This ridiculous campaign he has against the FA, referees and Arsene Wenger, it's just embarrassing. The sooner he stops wasting energy on believing that everyone is against him, he can use that energy to much more positive use."
"I think there is real concern that he can't turn this around," Burt said.
"Part of the problem at Chelsea is that people are concerned about him and about how he's coping with this. He's lashing out left, right and centre. The interviews yesterday were ridiculous.
"Because he has now talked so much about things going wrong, referee decisions, conspiracy theories and the whole world being against them, he's almost given the players an out."

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho offered to bring bring the press "nice glasses" after his side's 3-1 to Liverpool, alleging there was a lack of respect being shown for his side.
Ramires put the home side in front at Stamford Bridge but two goals from Philippe Coutinho and one from Christian Benteke sealed Jurgen Klopp's first win in the Premier League.
Mourinho refused to offer comment on any issue surrounding the game or his Chelsea future when speaking to television reporters after the match, but appeared to point the finger at Mark Clattenburg and was keen to take the blame away from his players.
"I'd like to listen more than being questioned," he said at his press conference initially, before stating: "There are things that are out of our hands.
"Two minutes extra time [at the end of the first half], we concede the goal on two minutes 35 seconds.
"Then what happened in the second half, everything, is a consequence of some crucial moments. Moments that the stadium saw, the players more than see, the players felt it, from now, what happens is just a consequence.
"I have some players really sad in the dressing room and I am full of respect for them. We see it match after match.
"As professionals they are not getting the respect they deserve. I don't think we, myself and them, are not going to have a great Saturday dinner, even families for sure.
"They have the same feelings that we have and I'm really sorry with that lack of respect for professionals."
Asked to explain his remarks about respect, Mourinho added:  "You are all intelligent guys. If you want to write [about the incidents], you write.
"Next press conference I will bring you nice glasses, maybe you see the game in a better way."
Mourinho was incensed on the touchline when Clattenburg refused to issue a second yellow card to Lucas Leiva for a blatant trip on Ramires, but refused to comment on the officials for fear of another sanction from the Football Association.
"What do you think? You are not punished by the FA. I'm punished if I tell you," he said.
"Now I go home, I go find a sad family. I will try to watch some of the rugby [World Cup final] and disconnect a little bit from this.
"Then I will start preparing the training session for tomorrow morning and the game for Wednesday [against Dynamo Kiev]."
The 52-year-old is in his second spell as Blues boss and was subject to the first managerial vote of confidence of Roman Abramovich's 12-year ownership on October 5.
That came less than two months after Mourinho had signed a contract extension as manager until June 2019, with the caveat results had to improve.
Since signing the new deal Chelsea have won one game, against struggling Aston Villa, and Mourinho's team are 15th in the table with five defeats in 10 games as they prepare for Saturday's match with Liverpool.
The Portuguese boss insists he is concerned about getting positive results and moving up the table but he believes the media are fixated on his long-term prospects.
"I am not worried about my job. I am not worried about my future," Mourinho said. "I don't spend one second of my day thinking about it.
"It looks like you want to put a lot of pressure on me in relation to that, where you can't do it. You can't do it.
"I am worried about the results. I am worried about winning (on Saturday). I am worried about qualifying for the next round of the Champions League.
"I am worried about recovering positions in the table and to go back to where Chelsea normally has to be."
Mourinho also took a swipe at the betting culture which has led to speculation about his future, and which proceeded Brendan Rodgers' recent dismissal from Liverpool.
"Don't speak with me about bets and odds," Mourinho said. "It's something that belongs to your culture, not to mine.
"I don't understand very well when you say 24 to two and 25 to six. Sometimes I think it's cricket. In the end, it's odds.
"What I would like to understand is why some people can be so excited and happy with the perspective of somebody losing his job.
"It's sad. The Brendan situation - he was almost winning the Premier League. He was the manager of the season. He won the award from Barclays, the managers' association and everything.
"And suddenly, you were really happy and working hard until he was sacked. It's strange.
"I don't belong to this world. I'm too much emotional. I hate people losing jobs. Not in football, in everything."
Cesc Fabregas remains confident Chelsea can still successfully defend their Premier League title ahead of Liverpool's visit on Saturday.
The reigning champions have endured a dismal start to the season, and sit 15th in the table with just 11 points from 10 games.
Jose Mourinho's men trail joint leaders Manchester City and Arsenal 11 points, yet Fabregas is refusing to throw in the towel just yet and is targeting a response against Jurgen Klopp's men.
"I'm sure we can still win the league," the Spain midfielder told Match of the Day magazine.
"We just have to get our confidence back, win a few games on the trot and from there we'll see what happens.
"In the Premier League anyone can lose points to anyone.
Carlo Ancelotti feels that Chelsea's shocking start to the new season is due to a loss of motivation among the players - but he does not believe that Jose Mourinho will pay the price for their dramatic dip in form.
The Blues cruised to the Premier League title last term, finishing eight points clear of second-placed Manchester City, but they are languishing in the bottom half of the table this time around.
Chelsea have already been moved to give Mourinho a vote of confidence and Ancelotti believes that the Portuguese will survive, as long as he manages to reinvigorate his players.
"I don't think Mourinho will be sacked, absolutely not," the Italian told Goal. "He has changed little from last season and he's at a club that he knows very well. Plus, the club knows Mourinho very well.
"Jose is one of the top coaches of all time and if anyone can turn it around he is the person.
"I believe that it's mainly a problem of motivation at Chelsea. From a technical point of view, the team is the same as the one that dominated the league last year. But their motivation levels have dropped.
"They had a terrible start and they need to rediscover their drive. The Champions League, in this instance, can help them, because it could give them an injection of confidence and help them rediscover the right determination."
Ancelotti was infamously sacked by Chelsea in 2011 - just a year after leading the club to a league-and-cup double - but he said that he does not hold any grudges, against either the club or owner Roman Abramovich.
Indeed, the former AC Milan and Real Madrid boss says that he enjoyed his time in England, as he found it a far less pressurised environment in which to work.
"I was at Chelsea two years and there were no major problems or big debates," the 56-year-old insisted. "Then, after two years, they decide to change coach.
"But I must say that in the UK the pressure is a lot lighter. We can say that working in England is much easier because while there is pressure, it's much less than elsewhere."
There has been a big inquest into English clubs' faltering form in Europe in recent years, with not one Premier League side managing to make the quarter-finals of last season's Champions League and all four representatives in the current competition having lost at least one of their opening two fixtures so far.
Ancelotti agrees that standards have fallen and feels it will take some time for the country's finest to re-establish themselves among the continent's elite.
"The reason for the decline is that the big English sides have overhauled their squads a lot, apart from Chelsea, who have experienced players and leaders," he reasoned.
"The others, like Manchester United, have taken young players of less experience. Therefore, they have revamped their sides and there have been difficulties. They must wait a couple of years to be competitive in Europe again."
Chelsea winger Pedro is confident Jose Mourinho has what it takes to get the reigning Premier League champions back on track.
The Stamford Bridge side have been in unimpressive form in the opening months of the 2015-16 campaign, and sit 12th in the league table after just three wins from their nine opening fixtures.
Mourinho has received his fair share of criticism in recent weeks following Chelsea's underwhelming start and there have even been reports that he has lost the dressing room.
Pedro, a close-season signing from Barcelona, has backed the Portuguese manager to turn things around, however.
"He's a very good manager, the best we can have to lift us out of this situation," the former Barcelona attacker was quoted as saying by the Daily Star.
"He gives confidence to the players, talks a lot. That’s important for the team and for the feelings of the players."
Pedro has yet to find his best form after a superb start to life at Chelsea and he has revealed that Mourinho wants him to focus on his defensive work more in order to help the team return to winning ways.
He added: "He wants me to give attacking depth to the team, to try and help out with defensive work as well and, to get better with confidence and take the game forward."
Jose Mourinho is confident he will not be sacked as manager of Chelsea even if the champions finish the season in mid-table. The Blues have made a poor start to the campaign, taking just eight points from their opening eight matches, and sit in 16th place in the Premier League standings.
Mourinho has come under pressure in recent weeks, with parallels drawn between the current situation and the 2006-07 campaign, when Mourinho was dismissed in September.
But the Portuguese believes that Roman Abramovich's attitude has changed since then and has faith that he will remain in charge even if Chelsea finish the season in mid-table.
"It’s different for many reasons. I don’t think it’s different just now, but since the moment I came back in 2013. When I had my first conversation with the owner and board in 2013.
“I met the owner before dinner so, when I left [after the Southampton defeat two weeks ago], I knew [there was no threat of the sack],” Mourinho said.

“But, even before that, I knew what brought me here. I know the conversation we had two years ago. I know what made me sign a new contract, and the reasons the owner and board decided to give me a new contract over the summer. They didn’t have to. I still had two years to run on the previous deal, so they didn’t have to give me a new contract. So what I know is what I know from them.
“Obviously, after a bad result – and that was not the first bad result of the season – I was far from happy. Far from it. But I never felt [concerned] about my future."
"For me the important thing is the owner and the board’s message to myself and, before the statement came out, I’d had the feedback from the owner and the board. So the statement [that Chelsea released in support of Mourinho] was not something new for me. That support I’d got before.
"Why did the statement come out? Maybe to stop the rumour that I could be on my way. The support to myself was not made by the statement, but by a normal conversation that we’ve had many times. This time it was to support and to make me completely aware of the club’s intentions.”
Chelsea face Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Saturday looking to climb up the table against Tim Sherwood's strugglers.
Branislav Ivanovic is set to miss out for the Blues, but Diego Costa is available again after his three-game suspension.
Costa was left out of Spain's squad for their final two Euro 2016 qualifiers, and recently conceded that he had turned up to pre-season training "slightly overweight" at the start of the summer.
"He's an honest guy, and a guy that says that is not, for sure, the leader of any ‘mutiny’,” said Mourinho. “He’s the kind of guy who assumes his own responsibility.
“His weight was a consequence of a bad approach, but also of a difficult last third of the season: suspension; injury; re-injury; not playing; disappointment; not participating in the best period of the season, when you become champions; go on holiday; go to Brazil. The food is much better than here. For a Brazilian, the food in Brazil is divine.
"He stayed there at home and came back in bad condition. He could have used many excuses for our bad moment, but he chose himself and his condition as one of the factors. So respect.”
Chelsea appealed against the £50,000 fine and suspended one-match stadium ban that was handed to Mourinho by the Football Association following his post-match comments after the loss to Southampton.
Mourinho, who had suggested that referees were "afraid" to give decision in his side's favour, confirmed that it was his choice to contest the charge.
"I want to appeal because I disagree totally, and not just partially, but totally with the decision,” he said. “It’s obviously my decision, but I don’t want to say anything else. Other than I disagree totally.”

Newcastle may be winless and already on the precipice of crisis this season but there is no team whom Jose Mourinho would less like to visit. St James's Park is one of just two Premier League stadiums at which the self-proclaimed 'Special One' has never won, the other being the Emirates Stadium (though he did pick up a 2-0 victory at Highbury in Arsenal's final season at the ground).
Even when the Magpies have been in appalling form, still he has struggled. In his five visits, Newcastle have won on three occasions and he has seen his usually resolute side concede three times as many goals as they have scored. Even last season, when the unbeaten Blues were rampant, having picked up 36 points from a possible 42, still they came unstuck in the north east.
"There are a few stadiums in this country where, clearly, when they see the Chelsea shirts, they play the game of their lives," said Mourinho of his bogey team last season. "When they play against other teams they look like they're playing friendlies."
But Mourinho can afford no more slips-up and especially not against a side who were knocked out of the League Cup by Sheffield Wednesday. If results go their way, they could be a mere five points behind leaders Manchester City and back in a title race that was prematurely written off. It may seem like an innocuous enough fixture, a giant against a minnow, but shaking this particular monkey off their backs could be decisive in Chelsea's season.
Mourinho can at least take some solace too from the curse of the 'P's having been lifted at last. Up until this month, all of the Portuguese's last six league defeats had come from managers whose surnames began with said letter, though that run was ended by Roberto Martinez and Everton. Next up, another 'M': Steve McClaren. Could a new hoodoo emerge?

There's no chance for Newcastle in this one. Chelsea are a banker. Newcastle can't stop losing. I like Steve McClaren, but they are just struggling so badly. The fans are rightly frustrated and Saturday could turn nervy within 10 minutes at St James' Park. Jose Mourinho's side love that and he'll pick them off easily.
The lead at the top is eight points, but Chelsea can win the title. After last week especially. It was a huge day for Chelsea last week, to beat Arsenal and then see City lose at home to West Ham. You have to remember Chelsea will look to beat Man City at home in April, so I call it five points.
PREDICTS: 0-3

Pele - regarded by many as the greatest footballer of all time - spent the majority of his illustrious career with Santos between 1956 and 1974, winning two Copa Libertadores trophies and six Brazilian league titles among others.
The three-time World Cup winner and Fifa Player of the Century has often spoke about his love for Barcelona, but the 74-year-old nominated Arsenal and not their London rivals as his team of choice in England.
"Arsenal would be a good team to play for," Pele told the Telegraph. "I like the teams that play open football. Today it is difficult to decide which teams play that way.
"Barcelona are the closest in style to Santos and are almost the same style as Brazil in 1970.
"Between Chelsea and Arsenal? I would play for Arsenal if I had the chance."

I have to go with Chelsea. Their record against Arsenal is fantastic, they just don't lose to them. I know Arsenal won in the Community Shield, but that was a bigger game for Arsenal than it was for Chelsea.
Chelsea made changes in the Champions League, but they had a home game. Arsenal got it horribly wrong. Playing away you cannot make six changes. It was very naive of Arsene Wenger. You have to get off to a positive start, especially with Bayern Munich in the group.
After what happened in midweek, it has swung all the pressure onto Arsenal, not Chelsea.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1

Terry was dropped for the 4-0 Champions League win against Maccabi Tel Aviv in midweek and was also substituted at half-time in the 3-0 loss to title rivals Manchester City last month.
But Mourinho has thrown his weight behind Terry, insisting he has complete faith in his club captain.
"Last season he played every minute, before that he didn't," Mourinho told reporters ahead of Saturday's visit of Arsenal.
"He's a player of my total confidence. I trust him always and he's one of my men. Just because he's on the bench one game or I take him off he's still one of my men."
Despite complaining about the form of defenders Gary Cahill, Terry and Ivanovic before Chelsea's game at West Brom last month, Mourinho said public criticism of Ivanovic had not come from him and was the work of others.
"You don't see me being critical of him," he said. "So I don't think it is a question for me because I am not making an individual analysis or trying to isolate individual players from the context."
The Portuguese also dispelled recent reports of disharmony in Chelsea's squad before launching a cryptic broadside at the media.
"I don't have any problem with any one of my players," Mourinho said.
"Normally when bad results happen the first thing that comes into your laptops, iPads and pens is to find a dramatic story: 'Somebody punched somebody in the dressing room', 'The manager doesn't want to speak with this guy'.
"'Diego Costa fought with John Terry and before they start the fight they brought a translator for them to understand each other in the fight, because Diego cannot speak English and John cannot speak Spanish'.
"'They organise it like a Wild West duels: 'At this time we are going to fight, bring a translator to help us'.
"You (the media) always go in this direction, which is funny. The other direction you don't go is the direction which is real.
"You lose matches, you are affected, you lose confidence, you don't want the ball."
The Chelsea boss confirmed Willian will be unavailable for the London derby with Arsenal and said fellow attacking midfielders Oscar and Pedro are also doubts for the game. Striker Radamel Falcao is also an injury concern for Chelsea.





The Premier League champions have secured just four points from five games this season, while Mourinho has already admitted that he and his players are unhappy with the start they have made.
But when asked about the mood among his players ahead of his side's Champions League group-stage opener against Maccabi Tel Aviv, Mourinho replied: “This is a question you keep asking and you should expect the same answer.
"You can have smiles and jokes, it’s a basic answer. When people are not getting success you work for, and I promise you we work hard, people get frustrated.
“It’s sad that it’s like that. It’s so simple to accept that the results are not good because that’s football and every season you have some seasons where teams don’t start well, have a bad result, and it’s so easy to connect that to bad luck, bad injuries. It’s quite sad that people go in other directions to find problems that don’t exist. That’s your problem.
“The only problem we have it that we don’t have good results. We aren't happy but we know what we are.
“In other clubs, you have to go back two, three, four, five years to remember good results. In our case, you have to go back three months, and three months ago we were the best team in the country, the best manager, best players.
“Can you ask me why some managers can’t be in difficult situations for five, six seven, ten years? I am the current champions of England, why should I be in trouble? I think it’s a good question that you don’t know how to answer.
“I have a squad. I don’t have to play with the same eleven, I can make changes, but I know the consequences of that. If I make a couple of changes in my team, if I take out Azpilicueta, you will say I have a problem with Azpilicueta, if I take out Terry, you will say I have a problem with Terry, if I take out Fabregas, you will say I have a problem with Fabregas.”
Asked if he was the ‘special one’ or ‘happy one’ on Tuesday, Mourinho replied: “Special and happy.”
But the Chelsea manager fired back with a stinging response when questioned on whether he was suffering from a third season complex.
“My third season in Porto, I didn’t have a third season, my third season at Inter, I didn’t have a third season, in my third season at Chelsea I won the FA Cup, League Cup and I reached the Champions League semi-final. Third season at Madrid, I won the Super Cup, and got to the semi-final of the Champions League,” he said.
“Click Google and stop asking stupid questions. I have nothing to show to anyone. Nothing.”
The Premier League champions were beaten 3-1 by a Steven Naismith-inspired Everton on Saturday to leave them 11 points behind leaders Manchester City after only five games. Jose Mourinho's side turn their attention to the Champions League on Wednesday, as Maccabi Tel-Aviv visit Stamford Bridge, and Ivanovic has called for a significant victory to get them back on track this season.
"We need one big win to come back to our way. We are not playing as badly as the results are showing but we have to wake up," he told Chelsea TV.
"I think at the moment we are being punished for all our mistakes. The only way we can change is to work hard and be ready for the next game, so it is like a final and we have to play like a final.
"The next game is very important for us. It is a new competition and it is time to change all this situation. I hope we will start winning the games soon."
Nemanja Matic, who scored with a stunning long-range strike in Saturday's defeat, says Chelsea are not accustomed to enduring such poor runs of form - though he believes they deserved a point from the trip to Goodison Park.
"Of course we are not happy," said the midfielder. "Everybody is sad because of the result.
"If you saw this game, I cannot say we deserved to win but we deserved a draw.
"Chelsea are not used to being on runs like we are at the moment but this is the reality. We have to work hard to get our game back to the way we played last season.
"I really don't know what's happened but it's not good for us and we need to see what we can do better as a team."

Players in: Pedro (Barcelona), Baba Rahman (FC Augsburg), Asmir Begovic (Stoke), Kenedy (Fluminense), Nathan (Atletico Paranaense), Danilo Pantic (Partizan Belgrade), Radamel Falcao (AS Monaco, Loan) Papy Djilobodji (Nantes), Michael Hector (Reading)
Players out: Petr Cech (Arsenal), Oriol Romeu (Southampton), Filipe Luis (Atletico Madrid), Patrick Bamford (Crystal Palace, Loan), Didier Drogba (Montreal Impact), Marco van Ginkel (Stoke, Loan), Danilo Pantic (Vitesse Arnhem, Loan), Christian Atsu (Bournemouth, Loan), Josh McEachran (Brentford), Tomas Kalas (Middlesbrough, Loan), Gael Kakuta (Sevilla), Mario Pasalic (Monaco, Loan), Kenneth Omeruo (Kasimpasa, Loan), Andreas Christensen (Borussia Monchengladbach, Loan), Isaiah Brown (Vitesse Arnhem, Loan), Lewis Baker (Vitesse Arnhem, Loan), Dominic Solanke (Vitesse Arnhem, Loan), Jordan Houghton (Gilliingham, Loan), Alex Davey (Peterborough, Loan), Mohamed Salah (Roma, Loan), Nathan Ake (Watford, Loan), Juan Cuadrado (Juventus, Loan), Marko Marin (Trabzonspor, Loan), Jeremie Boga (Stade Rennes, Loan), Lucas Piazon (Reading, Loan), Victor Moses (West Ham, Loan), Nathaniel Chalobah (Napoli, Loan)
MERSE SAYS: 
Pedro is the one that stands out, obviously. They got a good goalkeeper in Asmir Begovic, but they let a very good goalkeeper go to Arsenal. They spent the whole summer trying to get John Stones and then they end up getting this lad from Nantes for two million quid. I don't think Papy Djilobodji (I think I might just call him Papy…) will be playing. Pedro is great but I feel they needed a top-drawer centre-half - a £30million one - if I'm being honest.

The Blues boss says he will make changes to his squad in the wake of their poor start to the Premier League season
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Chelsea lost 2-1 at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday and have just four points from their first four games of the season - a tally which leaves them 13th in the table and eight points off the pace set by league leaders Manchester City.
And Mourinho could take drastic action with his squad as a result.
"If a player is not performing, there are two ways to look at it," he said.
"The first one is that I trust the player so much that I will wait for the improvement. You wait, wait, and wait and maybe it comes or it doesn't come.
"Or, even when you are trusting the player, (there) arrives a moment when you think, 'I have to change'. And I can go both ways."
Mourinho's frustrations are not helped by the fact that the Premier League now stops for an international window, depriving him of the opportunity to spend some time on the coaching ground with his squad.
"Because of the international break, the next match is in 15 days," he said.
"I don't know what happens in 15 days... every player goes away with their national team and I stay for two weeks with four players.
"I can't work, I can't improve. At this moment, I can't do anything during these two weeks to improve my team."


There has been speculation about the Brazilian’s future at Stamford Bridge following this week’s signing of Pedro from Barcelona.
Mourinho said: “It is a big lie of the market when I read that the club will sell Willian or that some club wants Willian. Maybe they want – but they don’t get.”


Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has hailed his side's capture of Pedro, labelling him one of the world's best forwards, and says he was encouraged to bid for the Spaniard due to his desire to test himself away from the comforts of Barcelona.The Blues hijacked Manchester United's move for the Spain international, wrapping up a €30 million deal on Thursday as Mourinho ramps up his recruitment drive in the wake of a disappointing start to their Premier League title defence.
Chelsea have also added full-back Baba Rahman from Augsburg but it is Pedro's capture that has especially delighted the Portuguese coach, with Mourinho believing that his new recruit can now step out of the shadows of Lionel Messi, Neymar & Co. and prove his class.
"This week we got a very good young left-back that we need with potential and we got one of the best attacking players in the world," he told reporters at his pre-match press conference, "a player with lots of experience and with something I really like very much, which is the desire to leave a giant club, the desire to leave one of the best clubs in the world.
"For a player like him, loved in the club, he loves the club, and he wants to leave because he wants something more for his career, I think is an evident sign of ambition.
"He wants to play every game. For many years he won everything playing with Messi, with [Andres] Iniesta, with all these stars but he wants more and I'm really happy with that kind of attitude. He comes to play, to win, to enjoy... not on holiday. So I'm really happy."