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Former Barcelona winger Pedro has revealed that Jose Mourinho is one the primary reasons why he decided to sign for Chelsea ahead of Manchester United.
The 28-year-old who was heavily linked with United over the past month in this summer transfer window favoured the Blues despite constant negotiations with van Gaal’s side over the past month as he struck a £21m deal with the English champions which will keep him at the Stamford Bridge for four years.
And Pedro, after spending 11 glorious years with Barcelona where he won 20 trophies overall, revealed that Mourinho was a key reason behind his move to West London. The Spaniard will join his compatriots Cesc Fabregas (who was also influential in bringing him to Chelsea), Diego Costa and Cesar Azpilicueta and hopes to replicate his Barca form by winning more accolades with his new club.
Pedro reveals he spoke to Cesc Fabregas before joining Chelsea
Talking to the club's official website, Pedro said, "It's absolutely great to be here ... [Mourinho] is one of the main reasons why I’m here. He phoned me a few times and said he needed me to make the team stronger."
"He has won titles wherever he has been. I am really looking forward to playing under him and hopefully winning more titles.
"I spoke to Cesc. We are very good friends. I knew I would feel at home here and that was one of the main reasons why I decided to join.He's a great player, he's got brilliant vision and he links up really well with the other attacking players. I know we work well together on the pitch so I can't wait to play with him again."I have also played with Diego Costa and Cesar Azpilicueta before, for the national team, so I feel very comfortable here. I do everything possible to win. I have helped Barcelona win titles and I want to do exactly the same thing at Chelsea, because ultimately we are all here to win things," he added.
Pedro has scored a total off 99 goals in 321 official appearances for Barcelona. The Spanish international has won three Champions League, five La Liga titles and three Copa Del Rey with the club from Catalonia.
Pedro’s most notable contributions include the opener against Manchester United in the 2010/11 Champions League final in Barcelona’s 3-1 win over the English side. Recently, the winger scored the extra-time winning goal in Barca’s 5-4 victory against Sevilla in the UEFA Supercup.
Chelsea have dropped five points from their opening two fixtures in the Premier League after they drew Swansea at home and were brushed aside 3-0 by Manchester City at the Etihad stadium. Mourinho’s men take on West Bromwich Albion on matchday 3 as they will look to secure all three points from that game.
