The 10 best players Mourinho has brought to the club during his two spells in charge.
10. Andre Schurrle – 2013
The player he has signed most recently with the greatest potential to be a star in the Premier League. The German international had already taken the Bundesliga by storm and it would only be a matter of time before he moved abroad to test himself in England.
He has already hit the ground running in his new home as he continues to come to terms with the pace and physicality of the English top flight and establishes himself as an important player in the first team.
9. Samuel Eto’o – 2013
Though he may no longer be the potent force he once was, and at 32 years of age his powers may begin to diminish quicker than fans would have liked, his signing is just what the club needed in the interim until the transfer market reopens in January.
Still capable of showing that nasty, selfish streak that made him so popular in the first place, he addition to an ailing frontline will be most welcome as Fernando Torres continues to misfire and Juan Mata struggles to win back his starting spot.
8. Paulo Ferreira – 2004
One of Mourinho’s first signings for the club came from his old Champions League winning side Porto. Already an established Portugal international, he added some much welcomed class on the right side of the defence and managed to keep the spot on a lockdown until the past two years.
Signed for a fee in the region of £13.2m, he spent the next nine years at the club and was always there waiting whenever he was needed. A consummate professional, a true gentleman and a classy footballer, there aren’t many players better at proving they were such good value for money.
7. Michael Essien – 2005
The 30-year-old’s arrival at the club was one of the most drawn out transfer saga’s there there had been up until that point and he had cost the Special One a whopping £24m – a fee that made him the club’s most expensive signing.
However, he would quickly go on to repay the faith shown in him by the manager by becoming one of the most powerful and feared midfielders in the world. Mourinho likes him so much that he even took him on loan to Real Madrid last term and will be glad that they can continue their relationship in London.
6. Arjen Robben – 2004
Chelsea fans probably didn’t see the best of Robben thanks to a string of debilitating injuries and just sheer bad luck.
However, he was one of Mourinho’s first arrivals and his signing confirmed that with the new money in place and a new, exciting manager at the helm the club were set to challenge the Manchester United and Arsenal’s duopoly at the top of the table. He signified where the new Chelsea were going to go and when he left for Real Madrid three years later he was sold for double what they had originally paid.
5. Ricardo Carvalho – 2004
Another one of Mourinho’s first signings, and like Ferreira, arrived from former club Porto for a big money fee of £20m after a strong year that saw him collect a Champions League medal and make it all the way to the final of Euro 2004 with Portugal.
Quickly slotting into a tight defence alongside John Terry, his classy performances in contrast to Terry’s guts and glory approach made him stand out as one of the Premier League’s stand out defenders – something which he maintained throughout his six year stint in West London.
4. Petr Cech – 2004
The Czech stopper has been one of the Premier League’s most consistent goalkeepers, and at just 31 s still young enough to continue his contribution for several years yet.
It’s a testament to the man who managed to make a comeback from a broken skull as though nothing had happened but a change of headwear. So much is his influence in the side that nobody has even come close to displacing him and young prospect Thibaut Courtois has been forced to seek a three-year long exile to Atletico Madrid in a bid to bide his time.
3. Michael Ballack – 2006
When Ballack joined Chelsea from Bayern Munich after the 2006 World Cup he was a consistent name brought up on the Balon D’or shortlist and many expected him to take the Premier League by storm.
It took him time to get acclimatised to his new surroundings, but once he did he would go on to pick up a League Cup, three FA Cups, and a Premier League title, as well as a Champions League runners up medal, and the fact that Mourinho was able to bring him on board for free only highlighted how savvy he could be when shopping for new players.
2. Didier Drogba – 2004
Drogba was a virtual unknown on these shores before he joined Roman’s Revolution in 2004, but a good showing, specifically in the Champions League, with French giants Marseille prompted Mourinho to whip out the chequebook and splash £24m on his signature.
And looking back it was the best £24m he’s ever spent. When on form he was the most quick, agile and powerful striker in the top flight and the fact that he cut a popular and likeable figure too made his appeal all the more great. Still going strong at Galatasaray, it would have been a shame for him to leave without clocking up the much coveted Champions League title.
1. Ashley Cole – 2006
Cole had already made a name for himself as one of the most exciting full backs in the country with a handful of international caps to his name as well.
The good work he’d done at Arsenal was followed up with even more success on the other side of the city and he is still maintaining a strong level of consistency even though he is the wrong side of 30.
Likely to be at the club until he retires, Cole will go down as one of the best wide players England has ever produced.