Jose Mourinho admits Chelsea are lacking a left sided fullback, but he fully expects his club to deliver him one before the window closes.
The Premier League champions will begin the defence of their crown on Saturday evening when Swansea City visit the capital, and they are likely to start with Cesar Azpilicueta in their back four. Having arrived in the summer of 2012 from Marseille as a right fullback, the 25-year-old has switched sides in recent times and has racked up 133 appearances in all competitions.
There is little doubt that the Spaniard will be Mourinho’s first choice left-back for the season, barring an unexpected loss of form, but with Felipe Luis returning to Atletico Madrid, the Portuguese coach is now short of back-up options. Speaking on the eve of the new campaign, he said: “We need a left-back, the board knows that and my feeling is that we are going to have one.”
It has been reported that the Blues will take Baba Rahman from Augsburg, with a deal expected to be completed within the next week. The agent of the 21-year-old Ghana international has claimed that the youngster has already agreed personal terms with the club, and all that is left now is for the two parties to agree a fee for the transfer of a player who has 11 caps for his country.
Meanwhile, Chelsea’s pursuit of John Stones continues to prove fruitless. The champions have already had one offer rejected by Everton for the centre-half, who is seen as the long-term successor to John Terry. The Stamford Bridge captain has even encouraged former Barnsley youngster to make the move, although his words have not gone down well with Roberto Martinez.
“That is wrong; that is illegal,” the Toffees coach told the Daily Telegraph. “The rules don’t allow you to comment on players who are registered at other clubs in that open manner. That is disappointing. We all know there are rules and regulations and it is something we don’t want to see when other clubs speak about your players.”
