Jose: Djilobodji not my choice, but I trust scout

Mark Holmes
Papy Djilobodji: Left out of Chelsea's Champions League squad

Papy Djilobodji: Left out of Chelsea's Champions League squad

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has confessed he did not scout Papy Djilobodji himself but signed the defender on the back of a recommendation.

Chelsea signed Djilobodji in a £4million deal from Nantes on transfer deadline day after admitting defeat in their pursuit of Everton’s John Stones.

Djilobodji was not a player Mourinho had been personally tracking, but the Portuguese was happy to put his trust in the scout that also recommended Kurt Zouma to the club.

“It was not my choice. It was the choice of somebody I trust completely,” Mourinho said of the Djilobodji signing.

“I don’t know every player. My job doesn’t allow me to travel, doesn’t allow me to spend hours and hours watching players.

“In some moments of the market, under certain circumstances, are moments where you have to trust or not the people that you work with.

“In my case I trust, because the same person that told me that Djilobodji can be a good squad player for us was the same person who told me Zouma could be a fantastic player for us so obviously I trust him.”

Mourinho also explained his decision not to include Djilobodji in Chelsea’s Champions League squad.

“Djilobodji is one of our four central defenders and hopefully will be useful for us,” Mourinho said.

“He is not in the Champions League list (squad) because then (Bertrand) Traore or Kenedy wouldn’t go in the list and then you would ask me why Traore or Kenedy are not on the list. They are young players working with us since day one, players that we believe in a lot.

“We made that decision because need to be very unlucky if in these six matches we need Djilobodji in the team when we have John (Terry), (Gary) Cahill, Zouma and eventually (Branislav) Ivanovic. One thing is short competition, another domestic season.”

Everton boss Roberto Martinez has again said that Chelsea broke rules during their pursuit of Stones, but Mourinho was not keen to add to the debate on Friday.

“What Martinez says for me means nothing, and I don’t comment,” he said.

“The only thing I can tell you is that I expect him (Stones) to play tomorrow with (Phil) Jagielka. We know their qualities, and we’re going to try to be successful against them.”