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Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho made it clear that Chelsea will need to sell one of their foreign players to meet the Premier League squad requirements as the rules state that a team can have a maximum of upto 17 non home-grown players above the age of 21 in their squad of 25.
Speaking two weeks before the opening fixture of the Premier League, the Portuguese said, “Up front we need three strikers and we have three strikers. Torres will not leave. Their different qualities are very important. We do need one player to leave because we have 18 foreign players and you can only have 17. We must make that decision between me, the board and the player involved.
It will be a tough one because our squad is stable. It has the right numbers.”
Quotes on Cesc Fabregas’ transfer
When asked about the transfer of Cesc Fabregas, he said, “I always thought Fabregas would be a Barcelona player because he is so good.’ ‘Being Catalan and with players like Xavi coming to the end of their career I always thought he would stay, but it was him.
He was so strong about his decision to come back to English football, a bit like me. He was in a big club and he wanted to be back. When we had the information that he had decided to come back to London, we knew he was the player we wanted. He can play as a no.8 or no.10. If he plays as a no.10 he can score goals. If he plays as a no.8 he can give stability to the team.”
Clearly, the Chelsea boss believes that Fabregas is the missing piece in the London club’s puzzle who will help them achieve great success both in the League and in Europe.
Mourinho’s thoughts on John Terry’s extension
Mourinho also praised captain John Terry for his performances last season, comparing them to the defender’s best, and also spoke about the extension offered to the former England skipper.
“The contract John got was only based on performances, not his status or his captaincy, just performances. John knows me and he knows the club. I don’t remember a better season than the one he just had. That’s the point.”
With Chelsea having added key players during the summer, their squad now looks complete, and their manager looks very comfortable when faced with the prospect of competing for all the silverware on offer, and is relishing the fact that he will have to make tough managerial calls throughout the season with regards to team selection.
