Chelsea Manager Jose Mourinho has indicated that he will "have to take a more careful approach to spending" in his second spell at the London club "because of new rules designed to ensure that clubs curb their financial losses," according to Keith Weir of REUTERS. Bankrolled by Russian Owner Roman Abramovich, Mourinho led Chelsea to successive league titles in '05 and '06 in his previous spell with the Premier League club. However, "the financial climate has changed," with UEFA trying to force clubs to move toward breakeven or ultimately risk exclusion from competitions such as the Champions League. Mourinho said, "Every wrong move you make has an influence on the future" (REUTERS, 6/17).
ECONOMIC STABILITY: The London EVENING STANDARD reported the Blues "have already signed Andre Schürrle from Bayer Leverkusen for an undisclosed fee while Napoli striker Edinson Cavani, Zenit St. Petersburg forward Hulk and Galatasaray playmaker Wesley Sneijder are all reported targets." Mourinho: "It's more global. Instead of just focusing on your team, and your targets and ambitions, it's an overall view. It's a different profile of job and I'm happy with that, I'm enjoying that." Mourinho has identified regular qualification for the Champions League as "one key to maintaining Chelsea's economic stability." Mourinho: "It's important for the players, for the young players' development, for the club, for the fan base and for the economic situation which is more important with Financial Fair Play" (EVENING STANDARD, 6/17).
