Jose Mourinho. Chelsea fans love him, supporters of other Premier League clubs, not so much.
That certainly would have been the case with Everton fans back in the summer of 2015 when Chelsea were pursuing John Stones.
Stones is a target for Chelsea once again, but had Mourinho had his way 11 years ago, the centre-back would have already signed for the Blues by now.
Their pursuit of Stones, who was just 21 at the time, was a very public one. And it got really ugly at times, with Mourinho quick to remind Everton where they were as a club compared to Chelsea.
Jose Mourinho labelled Everton a ‘smaller’ club
Mourinho, in effect, claimed that Everton were a “smaller” club than Chelsea as he explained how such outfits use the transfer market to their advantage by demanding huge fees for young English players such as Stones.
Discussing Chelsea’s interest in Stones and the risk of overpaying, the Special One said via Sky Sports: “It’s a good market. That’s why smaller clubs, if they have interesting young English players, they use that in the right way for them.
“I don’t criticise them. They play the market for themselves. If the big clubs don’t want to go over certain limits, they have to make a decision.”
Who would you rather Chelsea sign, John Stones or Maxence Lacroix?
In the end, it was the Toffees who had the last laugh. They managed to keep hold of Stones for another season before selling him to Manchester City, while Mourinho was sacked by Chelsea before the campaign even finished.
Chelsea’s alternative to Stones was someone Blues supporters will never forget: Papy Djilobodji!
Joking aside, Chelsea had a transfer window to forget that summer, while the 2015/16 season was a terrible one for the club.
John Stones could still be an asset to Chelsea 11 years later
It has been over a decade since Chelsea tried to sign Stones, and they are once again interested in the Englishman.
Of course, Stones now has plenty of experience under his belt, which is one thing that makes signing him so appealing.
Chelsea’s squad lacks experience, so Xabi Alonso could do with someone like Stones.
The England international is also available on a free transfer, while his ability on the ball is as good as ever. It is not 11 years too late for Chelsea, who would undoubtedly improve with the addition of Stones.
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