Mourinho says no to old talent
Jose Mourinho, the new Real Madrid coach told reporters that he has ruled out a move for Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard along with Chelsea defenders Ashley Cole and Ricardo Carvalho. When Mourinho took over as the Madrid coach, it was expected that he would make big signings, especially some of his former players. As anticipated, Mourinho was linked with two Chelsea players, Ashley Cole and Ricardo Carvalho. It was reminiscent of his time at Inter Milan, where he attempted to lure his favorite players from Chelsea, namely Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba.
Mourinho had a special relationship with most of the players at the London club – after his departure, many players spoke out against Roman Abramovich’s decision to let the “special one” go. The two players who were visibly shaken by the change were star midfielder Frank Lampard and the top goal scoring Drogba. The African star went as far as to say that Mourinho was like a father to him and that his departure saddened him immensely. When he had settled at Inter, Mourinho wished to have the two players at the club but it did not work out and the two have settled in since then.
This year, Mourinho targeted the Chelsea defenders and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard to strengthen the squad at Madrid. But he seems to have given up on three players, instead signing Sami Khedira, the German midfielder and wingers Angel di Maria and Pedro Leon. Mourinho has also signed Sergio Canales, the 19-year-old youngster from Racing Santander. Mourinho’s decision to give up on the three players materialised because of their age - all three are older than the players he ended up signing.
Mourinho clarified that just like Lampard, it was difficult for him to convince him to leave Gerrard and join Real Madrid. He revealed that keeping his age in mind, the 30-year-old Steven Gerrard would not be a wise signing. “He is part of the history of Liverpool, he belongs to the club - he is too important to them. The same thing happened when I tried to take Frank Lampard to Inter Milan. The problem exists when a club buys a player that is 30 and that cannot be sold later on,” Mourinho told reporters.
Mourinho revealed he had a similar problem with Carvalho, the Portuguese defender. Mourinho coached his fellow countryman at both Porto and Chelsea and said it would be a pleasure to do it for a third time at Madrid, but said the circumstances didn’t allow for it. “Ricardo is also a good player, but he is at an age that, if somebody is looking to build a team for the future, he cannot think of him. Ricardo belongs to the current moment. He is a man with a great professional and private life, so he has no problem when it comes to playing at a high level at the age of 32,” he said.
However, Mourinho admitted that he would have loved to have Ashley Cole at the Bernabeu, but due to Carlo Ancelotti’s insistence to keep him at Chelsea, Mourinho had to withdraw his offer. Mourinho said in a press conference, “Carlo Ancelotti was very clear. [He said] there is no money that will sign Ashley Cole, he needs to stay. We thought of him because he was a good player who I enjoyed working with, but when the coach says no, it's no - you have to accept it.” He was disappointed at not being able to sign Cole, who is recognized as one of the best left backs in the world. As good as he is at Chelsea, he would have been better at Madrid.
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