Former Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho has disclosed that he told Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich to “Pay, and don’t speak” in order to sign Ivory Coast legend, Didier Drogba from Marseille in 2004.
Mourinho stated this ahead of his “forthright opinions” on the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea on Saturday.
Drogba was one of Mourinho’s first signing at the Stamford Bridge.
The 40-year-old went on to become a Blues legend, scoring 157 goals in all competition for Chelsea and wining a lot of trophies during his time at the club.
“Drogba is the kind of guy who is so loyal that he never forgot that I took him from Marseille to the Premier League, where he was not even expected, because he didn’t start very young at that level,” Mourinho told beIN SPORTS.
“He had already played for Guingamp, Marseille, Le Mans, so when I took him to Chelsea I remember clearly Abramovich was asking me, ‘Who? Who do you want as a striker?’
“With all the big names in Europe at that time I said Drogba. ‘Who is he? Where’s he playing?’ (I said) ‘Mr Abramovich – pay. Pay, and don’t speak.’
“And Didier was an iconic player for Chelsea, for the Premier League.”
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