Jose Mourinho: We can spend big without selling

Jose Mourinho says Chelsea are capable of purchasing a 40 million pound striker this summer despite the restrictions of financial fair play, while insisting a deal will not come through the sale of one of the club’s best players.

The Portuguese also said that Fernando Torres has “a future at the club,” and claimed his comments after the 3-1 Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday were not excessively critical.

Mourinho’s statements about his forwards after that game attracted much attention, but the Chelsea boss proceeded to praise Torres on Friday for “giving everything,” although he also said he wants more goals from the Spain international.

Chelsea will reportedly attempt to solve their issue of a lack goals scored by their strikers with the purchase of a high-profile attacker this summer.

There had been talk that the club would have to sell one of Oscar or Eden Hazard to fund such a move, however, Mourinho denied that is the case.

“We do what we can. We don’t do what we can’t. We’re not going to do it by selling the best players [Oscar and Hazard],” he told his prematch news conference. “We want to keep the best players we have and the structure we’re trying to build.

“Part of the evolution is based on stability and part is about bringing players in the transfer window like we did in January and what we’re going to try and do in the summer. It’s evolution based on stability.

“It’s not through selling the best players. It’s not through selling 10 and buying 10 that we’re going to reach it. 

I think Chelsea can do that [spend 30-40 million pounds] on one player. Chelsea can’t do that with four or five players and invest 250 million pounds. Chelsea can do that with one player. That’s the work Chelsea is doing and I think that’s possible.”

Mourinho was then asked about his “strong words” for Torres and his other forwards, but he denied they were overly harsh.

“I don’t know which strong words... During his [Torres’] period at the club he had moments and some of them important moments,” Mourinho said. “But long periods performing Sunday in, Sunday out, he is not having a lot. Stability in his performances, but he is not having a lot. But moments of important goals, in spite of not scoring a lot during his career at Chelsea.

“He always had his moments. I believe in these moments until the end of the season. We have six league matches, one Champions League match that can transform to three. I trust that he can have these moments.

“He has a future. If you want to improve, I think everybody wants to improve and obviously Chelsea wants to improve. That’s normal. Does he have a future? Yes he has. He has a contract. He’s a good professional. 

He works hard for the team. Obviously, we want him to score more goals. Obviously, he wants to score more goals but he has a future.  

“He’s a good professional and tries to do his best. I think if people give everything they have, you never can complain. He’s a good professional in training and his social life. When he’s on the pitch he tries to do his best. We want more but he’s the first one that wants more, but he’s the kind of player that I respect. He deserves to be respected. Nothing more I can say about it.”