José Mourinho has been speaking to the press ahead of Chelsea’s game at Aston Villa on Saturday. This is the first time the Portuguese has spoken to the media since the FA charged Diego Costa with violent conduct.
Mourinho spoke positively about new £26M signing Juan Cuadrado “He’s a player we’ve known for a long time, we’re happy with our business” he also went on to praise his right-wing predecessor; “We are happy with what Andre Schurrle gave us. Hopefully we made him a better player and he can have success in the future.”
In contrast to last year where he branded the blues a ‘little horse,’ this time around José acknowledged our title credentials “We are on side. It’s up to the others to consider if they are title contenders or not.”
The Special One went on to rule the injured Filipe Luís out of the game, but revealed that Cesc Fabregas, who missed last week’s clash at City with a muscle injury, is available for selection against Villa. He also said that Cuadrado could make his debut this weekend with a sly swipe at the FA ““I think he can, unless the Premier League or FA say some rule stops him.”
Mourinho was questioned for his downward tone, to which he replied “You know why I’m here, so you cannot expect that I’m super happy to be here” implying that he only attended Friday’s press conference to avoid further disciplinary action.
In recent months Chelsea have been heavily linked with a summer move for Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane, Mourinho fueled the speculation by claiming “Zouma and Varane are the two best young defenders in the world.”
Mourinho also noted that there is no rush to confirm Eden Hazard’s new contract, reiterating that it will eventually be completed.
Chelsea face Aston Villa at 3pm on Saturday 7th February, follow @TheStamfordShed on twitter for live updates.
