Chelsea FC manager Jose Mourinho has admitted that the club, along with other elite English sides, can no longer sign top players from FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, or Bayern Munich, while admitting that they can sign their top talents.
In recent years, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid have repeatedly signed players for over 60 million GBP, with James, Bale and Ronaldo chosing Real Madrid, and Luis Suarez joining FC Barcelona from Liverpool FC.
Three of these four players were the top players in the Premier League when they were signed, and the English clubs could not prevent them from leaving.
English clubs can no longer compete with Barca, Real, or Bayern: Mourinho
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Jose Mourinho has stated that the top English clubs can no longer retain their top talents when the trio come calling and at the same time, the English club are unable to retain their top ones.
Mourinho was quoted saying by the Telegraph:
a I think there are only three clubs in the world who have the power to say, ‘I dona t sella .” a This is Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Is anyone in England interested in Thomas MA?ller? For sure. Can we, England, bring Thomas MA?ller from Bayern? I dona t think so.”
a Does anyone want [Lionel] Messi? Can you bring him? I dona t think so. They are big clubs with big history, economically strong and stable, income amazing. I think they sell when they want to sell. When you see a player leave one of these big clubs you have to think ita s because they want him to go. Thata s my feeling. [Ia m] speaking about the ones who make the world stop. Big transfers. When does Messi leave Barcelona? When he finishes his career.a
Is Mourinho right?
The statement from Mourinho comes at a time when Manchester United recently signed Bastian Schweinsteiger from Bayern Munich despite the German club wanting the player to stay.
While Manchester United are one of the world’s top three football clubs in terms of revenue, and have a fantastic historic record of winning trophies, they will have to ensure they keep up the success cycle if they are to match the money, history, and current success of Bayern, Barca, and Real Madrid.
The other Premier League sides indeed have one or two key attributes that Jose Mourinho called key to retaining top players or signing them, missing.
Liverpool FC do not have the best of finances or current success as evident from a lack of a league or European triumph since 2005 and a revenue of 256m GBP. With revenues of 304m GBP, Arsenal FC cannot compete with the elite in finances, neither in trophies, having won just two FA cups since their last league triumph in 2004. Chelsea FC have started to feel the effects of FFP that have crippled their ability to spend freely as evident from a lack of net spend this season and last being a meagre 30m GBP. Plus, Chelsea FC also lack the historic pull that Bayern, Real or Barca have on the players. Manchester City have the same problem, although they are more ignorant of FFP, currently, and are spending much more freely.
But, it is hard to recollect the last time that an English club signed a top player from either of the three sides, who was at his peak and had no issues with the club.