José Mourinho has warned that he could complicate any attempt by Arsenal to take Petr Cech to the Emirates by insisting that Arsène Wenger send a player to Stamford Bridge in return.
Mourinho accepts that his employer, Roman Abramovich, can grant Cech permission to move to any club the goalkeeper wishes as a reward for a decade of service at Chelsea – and Cech this week hinted at a preference for Arsenal by intimating he would like to remain in London – but the manager added with a mischievous smile that he could still add a twist to any deal that Arsenal hope to do.
“My answer is not important because the owner is the owner, he is the person with the perspective I admire a lot, respect a lot,” said Mourinho. “He respects a lot of people who do important things for him. Since 2004 to 2014-15, Cech has had 10 years of success with the club, 10 years of unbelievable behaviour. I will have to accept any decision that the owner has. I’m different. I have the same respect for Petr that everybody at the club has, but my answer [to a proposed move to Arsenal] would be: ‘No way.’ If the answer is different I will accept that. But at every club that is interested in Petr I can find a player that I like in that team, too.”
Mourinho added that he aims to recruit three players this summer to ensure his Premier League-winning team do not lose their appetite. He also expressed his satisfaction that none of his key men are likely to leave. “I think [the most important business] is done, which is to keep the players I want to keep. In other seasons I was very happy to sell a few players, even good players. This season I’m not happy to sell my best players so that is the real challenge to keep them.
“If I keep Hazard and Matic and Ivanovic and Diego Costa, Fàbregas; if I keep all of these important players for us that’s the first target. I think then we need three players. A striker, because we lost our legend [Didier Drogba], a defender and a midfield player. Give a little bit more competitiveness to the squad, bring some new blood in, put some players a little bit under pressure. They know they have someone waiting, I need that to support my way of working. Now they’re the champions I need that. But basically [Chelsea will have] the same squad, the same team, the same manager, stability in the club.”
Mourinho, speaking at BT Sport studios at an event to announce that he will provide analysis for the channel as it begins exclusive live coverage of the Champions League and Europa League, also called for the introduction of a winter break to help English sides go farther in European competitions.
The Chelsea manager believes they arrive at the knockout stages of tournaments more drained than their European counterparts and would like the Premier League to pause in January, allowing players to recharge without sacrificing traditional festive period fixtures.
“I love our football in December,” said Mourinho. “But the reality is that when the other teams are coming into the second part of the Champions League they are very fresh after a good rest; after a second pre-season they are not tired. We are sometimes physically and mentally tired and it is more difficult for English clubs. English clubs did it in the past and will do in the future but it is more difficult for us. We could do something after the new year. We can still play five or six matches in two weeks – amazing Boxing Day matches and so on – but after that we should do something to give the players a little bit of a break.”