Ba would have made Arsenal title contenders, says Mourinho.
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Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has admitted that he cancelled Demba Ba’s loan move to Arsenal due to his fear of seeing him form an effective partnership with Mesut Ozil, according to the Daily Express.
Arsenal hoped to land a striker this summer, targeting the likes of Gonzalo Higuain and Luis Suarez, and looked to be making progress to land Ba on loan from their rivals on transfer deadline day, before Chelsea decided to pull the plug on the deal.
Instead, youngster Romelu Lukaku left the club to spend the season with Everton, leaving Ba as the Blues’ main backup as opposed to a potentially key player for the Gunners as they look to challenge for the title.
Mourinho explained that Arsenal’s surprise signing of Ozil made him reconsider the deal, as he knows the German playmaker well from their time together at Real Madrid.
“I did not accept Arsenal’s offer for Demba Ba because added to their signing of Ozil, they would have been title contenders,” he said.
“Ozil is unique, there is no copy of him, not even a bad one.
“He is the best No. 10 in the world. He made things easier for me and his team-mates with his vision of the game and the decisions that he made.”
Ozil was first signed by Mourinho for Real Madrid back in 2010, and went on to become a key player for the Portuguese boss as he led the Spanish giants to the La Liga title in 2012.
However, he was deemed surplus for requirements by new manager Carlo Ancelotti, who had brought in Isco and Gareth Bale in this summer’s transfer window.