Mourinho explains Carvalho choice
Mourinho was delighted to capture Carvalho - one of the stars of the European Championship, and a player that helped him win the UEFA Champions League with Porto last season.
However, the new Chelsea manager suggests that Carvalho was one of five or six options - with Robert Ayala, Anderlecht's Vincent Kompany and Tottenham's Ledley King believed to be on his shortlist.
"We had five or six players we were looking at and last week we arrived at the conclusion Ricardo was the perfect choice," explained Mourinho.
"He is arriving at a high point in his career - he has won the Champions League with Porto and played in the final of Euro 2004.
"He is 26 and has lots of ambition and experience. He is expensive for the fee but cheap in terms of salary.
"We also found clubs who had players without so much potential asking for similar amounts.
"We found a fantastic young player of 19 or 20 with great potential and they asked for £35m.
"Or the experienced defender of 31 who we could not sell on and they asked for £13m.
"Or a normal defender from England and they wanted the same money as Carvalho.
"And so we arrived in a dead-end street.
"Portuguese players do not have big salaries in their country.
"So when they move they move for the challenge and because, if you double their salary, they are happy.
"Carvalho was the best defender at Euro 2004.
"He proved against England - first Michael Owen and then Darius Vassell - that nobody can beat him for pace."
Meanwhile, Mourinho expressed his sympathy for the current plight of Sven Goran Eriksson - admitting he thought that national coaching jobs were best suited to managers of the same nationality.
"When I am 60 I want to coach Portugal. You don't have to work so hard, you can stay asleep until noon and at weekends you see some matches," added Mourinho.
"You play one friendly every two months and every two years you play a tournament.
"To be Portugal manager is the world's best job, but to be England manager? No, no.
"Managing a country is about heart. The best manager for Portugal is Portuguese and France is French.
"I sympathise with Sven. He did a great job in Portugal at Benfica and I only have good things to say about him."
