• Football

  • Premier League

Chelsea News

News

  • News
  • Teams
  • Video
  • Fixtures
  • Results
  • Tables
  • Stats
  • Squad
  • Transfers
  • Sky Bet
  • Super 6
More from Football
  • Football Home
  • Premier League

Jose Mourinho reveals he passed up and opportunity to bring Diego Costa to Chelsea eight years ago

Last Updated: 18/08/14 9:18am

Diego Costa: Chelsea could have signed the player eight years ago
Diego Costa: Chelsea could have signed the player eight years ago

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has revealed he passed up the opportunity to sign Diego Costa eight years ago, when the player was at Braga.

Mourinho believes several clubs failed to recognise the potential of the Brazilian-born forward when he was still a teenager breaking through in Portugal.

"To be fair when he was in Portugal I had a look at him, so everybody was blind, including myself," said Mourinho.

Costa will make his competitive debut for Chelsea on Monday at Burnley in front of the Sky Sports cameras and the Blues manager is confident his £32m acquisition from Atletico Madrid has the potential to be a star in the Premier League this season.

"He can be, yes I know,” Mourinho said. "He's still the guy that comes from a very small village behind the sunset.

"His village is behind the sunset - you want to arrive there, and it's difficult to arrive. He's still that guy.

"He's still that guy, the way he behaves, the way he acts, the way he interacts, he's still that naive, pure, simple, humble guy."

Mourinho claims he will stick to his game plan as he looks to claim his first trophy since returning to Stamford Bridge last summer, but he is determined to stick to his plans.

"It doesn't change my approach," said Mourinho. "It doesn't change my vision, my feeling.

Jose Mourinho talks to Sky Sports' Geoff Shreeves ahead of Chelsea's season opener at Burnley
Jose Mourinho talks to Sky Sports' Geoff Shreeves ahead of Chelsea's season opener at Burnley

"We can do nothing more than say, we can do nothing more than feel: we feel we are title contenders, we can't add anything else to this.

"If the first team is better than us, if we are good, very good, but somebody is better than us, that's football, that's not a failure.

"But the only thing you can do is to be good. We have to be good, to be better than last season, in everything.

"We have to fight for titles, and after that if somebody is really better than us, it's because they were fantastic."

Trending

  • 1
    Joshua exacts revenge on Ruiz Jr
  • 2
    Keane: A proper Man Utd performance
  • 3
    Ruiz Jr calls for trilogy fight
  • 4
    Man City 1-2 Man Utd: Player ratings
  • 5
    Eubank Jr overcomes injured Korobov
  • 6
    Manchester derby big-match stats
  • 7
    Klopp: Nearly a perfect day for Liverpool
  • 8
    Match Zone: Carra meets Brendan Rodgers
  • 9
    Police probe alleged racism towards Utd players
  • 10
    Five reasons England fans should believe
  • Video
  • Latest News
  • Home
  • Sports
    • Football
    • F1
    • Cricket
    • Rugby Union
    • Rugby League
    • Golf
    • Boxing
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Racing
    • Darts
    • NFL
    • NBA
    • Motorsport
    • Netball
    • GAA
    • MMA
    • eSports
    • More Sports
  • Score Centre
  • Video
  • TV
  • Sky Bet
  • Games
  • More
    • Transfer Centre
    • Live on Sky
    • Get Sky Sports
    • TV Shows
    • TV Guide
    • Competitions
    • Sky Go
    • Now TV
    • Pub Finder
    • Sportswomen
    • Sports Scholarships
    • Tackling Racism
    • Podcasts
    • Mobile
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • Contact Us
    • Terms & Conditions
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Sky Sports
    • Get Sky Sports
    • Sky Sports Apps
    • Sportinglife.com
    • TEAMtalk.com
    • Football365.com
  • Partners
    • Sky Bet
    • Fantasy Football
    • Super 6
    • Sky Sports Pub Finder
    • Living for Sport
    • Planet Rugby
    • Golf365
    • Planet F1
    • Cricket365
  • Sky Sports Channels
    • Sky Sports Main Event
    • Sky Sports Premier League
    • Sky Sports Football
    • Sky Sports Cricket
    • Sky Sports Golf
    • Sky Sports Racing
    • Sky Sports F1
    • Sky Sports Action
    • Sky Sports Arena
    • Sky Sports News
    • Sky Sports Mix
  • More Sky Sites
    • Sky.com
    • Sky News
    • Sky Corporate
    • Sky For Businesses
    • Now TV
    • Sky Communal TV
    • Sky Academy
    • Bigger Picture
    • Store Locator
    • Work for Sky
    • Advertise With Us
    • Sky TV Accessories
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy & Cookies Notice
  • Privacy Options
  • Accessibility Information
  • Contact Us

©2019 Sky UK