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Jose Mourinho has never been one to hold back on signing players if they suited his playing style. While Jose Mourinho has won a lot of trophies in his successful career, he has also spent some exorbitant sums of money on player transfers.
His critics have always pointed to the fact that he is impatient to wait for a youngster's development into a first-team player. Kevin De Bruyne and Mo Salah will testify to that sentiment.
Still, the Portuguese tactician has pulled some pretty shrewd dealings in the transfer market over the last decade. On that note, we look at five of Jose Mourinho's best signings in the last decade:
Jose Mourinho's five best signings in the last decade
5: Angel Di Maria
The Argentine winger was brought in from SL Benfica in the same summer when Jose Mourinho arrived at Real Madrid. Di Maria would become a crucial component of Jose Mourinho's counter-attacking tactics at Madrid and thrived playing alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Mesut Ozil.
During his time under Jose Mourinho, Angel Di Maria scored 25 goals and provided 60 assists for the Los Blancos. Di Maria won the La Liga and Copa del Ray under Jose Mourinho but suffered the heartbreak of losing out in the semifinals of the Champions League in three consecutive seasons.
Ironically, Di Maria enjoyed his best season at Real Madrid under Carlo Ancelotti, where he provided 11 goals and 25 assists as Los Blancos finally won the La Decima.
4: Willian
Jose Mourinho always liked wingers who could combine their speed with an innate ability to sacrifice and work hard for the team. Willian fitted that profile and was brought in by Jose Mourinho on his return as head coach of Chelsea.
During two seasons under Jose Mourinho, Willian was a key player and would go on to make 36 appearances in the Premier League as Chelsea won the title. This was Chelsea's first league title in five seasons and was the high point of Jose Mourinho's second stint at the club.
3: Cesc Fabregas
Not many could have imagined Cesc Fabregas in the blue of Chelsea, considering he was an icon at the Emirates Stadium and a former captain as well. Jose Mourinho saw things differently, though, and somehow managed to persuade the Spaniard to join him at Chelsea.
While the two spent only a season alongside each other, Fabregas arguably reached his peak under the Portuguese tactician's guidance. The Spaniard put in an impressive 23 assists in 42 matches in his only season under Jose Mourinho as Chelsea won the League Cup and the Premier League.
Cesc Fabregas would never reach the same sort of heights later in his career, although he provided seven goals and 13 assists under Antonio Conte in 2016/17 . His partnership along with Diego Costa alone makes the former one of Jose Mourinho's best buys in the transfer market this decade.
2: Mesut Ozil
Mesut Ozil's performances at the 2010 FIFA World Cup drew a lot of admiring eyes, one of which was Jose Mourinho's. He gave Real Madrid the green light to sign Ozil from Werder Bremen for a reported €20 million.
Mesut Ozil played the best football of his career under Jose Mourinho as he gave him the defensive foundation to work his magic. Ozil gained the moniker of 'assist-king' under Jose Mourinho's tutelage and racked up an astonishing 80 assists in 159 appearances during his stint with Real Madrid.
Jose Mourinho's departure, though, signaled the end of Mesut Ozil's spell at Real Madrid as he was sold off to raise funds for the signing of Gareth Bale. Ozil has never been the same player again and has provided just 77 assists in 254 appearances during his time at Arsenal, which is a sharp decline in terms of his output.
1: Diego Costa
Diego Costa joined Chelsea for a reported €35 million after leading Atletico Madrid to the La Liga title. Costa would prove to be the last missing piece of the puzzle in Mourinho's Chelsea 2.0 as they would go on to win the Premier League convincingly that season.
Costa's goals would prove to be a significant factor in that triumphant campaign as he contributed 20 in 26 matches. Another player who spent just a season under Jose Mourinho, had a profound impact at Stamford Bridge that season.
Diego Costa, one of Mourinho's best ever signings, would go on to lead Chelsea to another Premier League title, this time under Antonio Conte during the 2016-17 season. Jose Mourinho would have loved someone of Costa's ilk at Manchester United.
