5 players sold by Jose Mourinho at Chelsea currently doing well in the Premier League
Every time a new manager takes over a club, there will always be a few players who don’t suit his style of play and therefore get sold. The manager makes signings that supplement his plans and not all of them always work as expected.
A lot of times it so happens that those very players could be performing exceptionally well in the same league for rival teams, making the home fans question the manager’s decisions at a later time.
In the case of Chelsea, the supporters regret the sale of a few players during Jose Mourinho’s reign, whom they very well could use right now, as the team is rebuilding under former Juventus and Italy manager Antonio Conte.
So, let’s take a look at 5 players sold by Mourinho who are currently performing at top level in the Premier League.
#5 Ryan Bertrand
Ryan Bertrand, the Southampton full-back was widely tipped to be Ashley Cole’s replacement at Chelsea.
He was sent out on nine loan spells with seven different clubs during his time at Chelsea and when he finally received his opportunity, he took it with both hands and performed well first under Roberto Di Matteo in the 2011-12 season and then under Rafa Benitez in the next season.
During this period, he became the first player to debut in European competitions in a Champions League final and further went on to make 38 appearances the following season en route to the Europa League win in 2013.
However, when Jose Mourinho came back in 2013 for a second spell at the Blues, the left-back’s development stalled as the Portuguese preferred Cesar Azpilicueta in the role. In order to secure game-time, Bertrand joined Southampton on loan in 2014 and made the move permanent with the Saints paying £10 million in 2015.
The 2014-15 season was a stellar one for Bertrand as he showed his solid defensive ability with a willingness to bomb forward, making him the best English left-back in the country and a spot in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year.
He also added to his two national caps received in 2012 after being recalled in 2015, and has been a regular member of the squad competing with the likes of Luke Shaw and Danny Rose for the starting spot.
Meanwhile, Mourinho signed Filipe Luis from Atletico Madrid in 2014 for the left-back role and then sold him back the following summer. With Ivanovic’s performances fading, Azpilicueta is the natural choice at right-back.
However, the lack of a first-team option at left-back means he continues at left-back. This summer Conte signed Marcos Alonso from Fiorentina to solve the problem and the jury is still out on him.