02/06/2004

Mourinho takes over at Chelsea

It has been confirmed that former Porto coach José Mourinho is to take over at Stamford Bridge, following on from Claudio Ranieri's departure yesterday.

Chief executive Peter Kenyon said that the decision to change manager was about the long-term of moving Chelsea on to the next level of winning things on a consistent basis and being a major player in European competition.

The club completed negotiations last night, signing the Portugese coach on four-year contract. After talks, Mr Mourinho pledged to "win things and be entertaining – it is fun to win”.

“We have top players and, I am sorry to sound a bit arrogant but we have a top manager. We have to work with big things in our minds," he added.

Mourinho would take on both roles of manager and first team coach, rather than also employing a director of football.

The man who will oversee the fortunes of a team bristling with international talent said he wanted a "holistic approach" – where one man was ultimately responsible for the signing of schoolboys into the Academy and then for bringing them into the first team.

He added: “In relation to players, if all the names you have linked with us come we will have a 50 man squad. With my methodology we will have a 21-man squad plus three goalkeepers.

“So if we bring some in we must find a way to solve the problem of some others. And we must have a different view to the reserves and youth, we must give it a different eye.”

In terms of his style and strategy, Mourinho said that the team would have one goal in mind – to keep possession. Formations, tactics and personnel would be secondary to his, he said.

“I have a method rather than believing in any formation," he said. "In Porto I sometimes play with four in a diamond in midfield, sometimes with three and with three in attack.

“But I always play to the same method. I believe in possession of the ball, I want my team to go out and be in control, so I want them to press early and get the ball early and then play with it. And I work on this everyday in training.”

(gmcg)

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