Having faced him in the past, John Terry is relieved he will now be lining up in the same side as Samuel Eto’o after the striker linked up with Chelsea last month.
Jose Mourinho is a huge admirer of the Cameroon international, having worked with him at Internazionale when the Italian giants won a treble which included the UEFA Champions League. So when the 32-year-old became available during the summer window, the Portuguese coach didn’t hesitate to lure him to the capital.
Eto’o is expected to make his debut when the Blues travel to Everton on Saturday evening, as two of the Premier League’s three unbeaten sides come face-to-face. And Stamford Bridge skipper Terry is relieved to be able to count the prolific goalscorer as a team-mate, rather than having the task of trying to stop him instead.
“I said to him (Eto’o), ‘Thank God you’re here’, because I’ve had so many battles against him,” he told Chelsea TV ahead of the trip to Merseyside. “He’s such a threat, he’s obviously a few years older but he still looks very sharp and hungry. He’s got an eye for goal and I think he’ll be a good addition. He was welcomed straight into the squad.”
There could also be an introduction to English football for Willian who, like Eto’o, joined Chelsea from Anzhi Makhachkala when the Russian club had a clearout of their expensive stars last month. Terry, though, has asked for patience from supporters who may be demanding too much if they expect the new-boys to deliver immediately.
“Samuel has looked really sharp in training so far, and so has Willian. You speak to both of them and they talk about how the intensity of their training is a lot different to how it is here so for sure it will take them a few weeks to get their full fitness,” added the former England international, who has started every game under Mourinho this season.
