Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has taken a double swipe at Arsenal - 29 days before the start of the season.
The
Portuguese, speaking at his unveiling as a BT Sport ambassador, claimed
summer signing Cesc Fabregas never wanted to return to the Emirates
Stadium this summer and said Jack Wilshere has set a poor example to
children after he was caught smoking in Las Vegas last week.
Mourinho
pulled off a coup by signing Fabregas from Barcelona earlier this
summer, despite the fact Arsenal had first option on the midfielder.
The Spaniard's move to Stamford Bridge came as a shock given his emotional ties with the Gunners, who he captained.
Fabregas
had indicated Arsenal snubbed the chance to re-sign, but Mourinho
claims the midfielder never intended to go back to north London and says
it it took him just 20 minutes to clinch his signing.
'How did I persuade him? I spoke to him for about 20 minute,' said Mourinho.
'I
think he really wanted to come. Arsenal had an option where they could
interfere, but I don't' think he was open to that. He was in our
direction so it was easy for me.'
And the Special One had his say on the smoking controversy that has engulfed Wilshere this week.
The Gunners midfielder was photographed smoking and behaving outrageously during a holiday in Vegas.
It was the
second time in nine months Wilshere has been snapped with a cigarette in
his mouth, despite his protestations that he is not a smoker.
And Mourinho says the England midfielder is not fulfillng his status as a role model after his Vegas escapade.
'What football players do, millions and millions are watching, lots of kids are watching,' said the Blues boss.
'I’m
not a specialist, obviously, but I don’t think if a football player
smokes one cigar or cigarette with friends in the summer when he is not
training – I don’t think it affects his performance.
'What gets affected is that a kid at home says if a top football player can smoke then I can smoke and it is not a problem.
No comments:
Post a Comment