Pedro deal not victory over Man United – Mourinho

Jose Mourinho

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says his purchase of Pedro does not represent a victory over Manchester United, 

The Spain international left Barcelona for Stamford Bridge in a £21.4m deal on Thursday, ending a summer of speculation which had him linked predominantly with United.

Old Trafford chief executive Ed Woodward flew to Spain to hold talks with Pedro but manager Louis van Gaal has distanced himself and the club from reports that a deal had been imminent.

Pedro

Instead of celebrating securing the deal as a win over a Premier League rival, Mourinho chose instead to focus on the ambition Pedro showed by leaving a club with which he has such a strong bond.

“I only want to beat Manchester United on the pitch,” he said. “I don’t even want to go in that direction. Our job here is not to try to get the players other teams want, it is to get players that we think are good for us.

“Finally we understood that the player was ready to leave the club of his dreams, the club of his heart, where he had won absolutely everything and when I’m told a player wants to leave Barcelona, Real Madrid, these giant clubs I always ask myself why they want to leave.

“He has amazing respect and the way he speaks, he loves (Andres) Iniesta and (Lionel) Messi and these guys that played with him all these years – but everything he does, he would always be behind and it’s a moment for him to enjoy a new challenge in a new country and a new culture.

“It’s an opportunity window where you have to be careful not to lose your best players and at the same time, it’s an opportunity window to get players that sometimes you are not expecting to get.

“Most of the time we don’t fail. This week, we got a very good young left-back (Baba Rahman, who signed from Augsburg) with potential and one of the best attacking players in the world.

“Pedro wants more and I’m really happy with that kind of attitude. He wants to play, to win and to enjoy. He is a player that we like a lot and that we’re happy to have.

“I don’t want to say we won, Man United lost – that’s not the point. It’s a moment for Pedro to enjoy a different step.