Chelsea started their English Premier League campaign yesterday with a controversial 2-2 draw against Swansea at Stamford Bridge. Courtois’ sending off and referee’s decision to award the Welsh side a spot kick stand as the biggest talking point from the match while the defending champions could not start the season on a good note.
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, who signed a new four year deal at Chelsea to remain at the club for the next four years, has came up with a interesting comment.
The Portuguese manager has admitted that Premier League is unable to attract world class stars like Lionel Messi and Thomas Muller unless they want to leave their respective clubs.
The two times Champions League winner believes that clubs like Bayern Munich, Barcelona and his former club Real Madrid hold a unique place in world football.
English Premier League has lost its biggest players in the recent seasons. The biggest examples are Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale, who left Liverpool and Spurs respectively for giants like Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Manchester United’s two-time Player of the Year Spanish goalkeeper David De Gea was dropped by Louis van Gaal for Spurs match yesterday amid Real’s interest, and Mourinho knows the Premier League cannot compete despite the money on offer in England.
“I think there are only three clubs in the world who have the power to say, ‘I don’t sell,'” the Daily Telegraph quoted Mourinho as saying. “This is Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.”
“Is anyone in England interested in Thomas Muller? For sure. Can we, England, bring Thomas Muller from Bayern? I don’t think so.”
“Does anyone want [Lionel] Messi? Can you bring him? I don’t think so. They are big clubs with big history, economically strong and stable, income amazing. I think they sell when they want to sell.”
“When you see a player leave one of these big clubs you have to think it’s because they want him to go. That’s my feeling.”
“[I’m] speaking about the ones who make the world stop. Big transfers. When does Messi leave Barcelona? When he finishes his career.”
Lionel Messi has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge last winter and Muller is linked with a Manchester United although Mourinho says that Premier League cannot attract such big players.
And Mourinho says clubs must capitalise on players’ desire to feature more regularly elsewhere to force through transfers, adding: “The way is to bring players like [Sergio] Aguero when Man City bought him or [Eden] Hazard when Chelsea bought him.”
“Try to be lucky and have an Alexis [Sanchez] that is not playing regularly in Barcelona.”
“[Cesc] Fabregas is similar to Alexis, not playing regularly. Arrive at a moment where these top players really want to leave and they force it a little bit.”