Camera Catches Mourinho Dismissing Qualities of His Strikers

Angry Jose Mourinho has been forced into a furious damage limitation exercise after being caught on camera dismissing the quality of his strikers. The Chelsea manager’s remarks about Samuel Eto’o, Fernando Torres and Demba Ba were captured by French TV company Canal+ during a sponsorship launch with watch manufacturers Hublot last week. Mourinho believed he was chatting privately to senior representatives of the Swiss company as he discussed his team’s options up front. But to his horror, they emerged yesterday.
“I have a team but no striker,” Mourinho said. “It is not possible for us to win the Premier League. “We have Samuel Eto’o. Yes, Eto’o. but he is 32, maybe even 35, I don’t know.” Mourinho did speak directly to Canal+, when he dismissed the idea of a potential swap deal involving Eden Hazard and Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani and suggested a move for Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic was “mission impossible”. He then admitted he was approached by the Paris club to takeover after Real Madrid. “I did not say yes or no - I did not receive a direct offer,” he continued. “We have a relationship. But I don’t want to feed false questions - I want to stay. I have four years left on my contract and then we will see.” A swap deal between Cavani and Eden Hazard has been floated in the French press but Mourinho responded: “No, Eden is our boy. “He is the boy we want to have for ten years and build the team around him. What if PSG offer 100 million? Only if Financial Fair Play does not exist, and if Financial Fair Play does not exist, we have the money to say no.” But Chelsea sources insisted another quote, in which Mourinho suggested Colombian striker Radamel Falcao needed to leave Monaco, was also a light-hearted, jocular and off-the-record remark, rather than for public consumption. Mourinho added: “I don’t have Falcao but Falcao doesn’t have a club. Who wants to play in front of 3,000 supporters?