Chelsea won´t be active in transfer window – Mourinho

Jose Mourinho said he does not expect to be busy in the transfer window this close-season, indicating he will take a similar Chelsea squad into 2015-16.

When asked on Friday if he will be busy at the end of the season, Mourinho joked he would be more active in his sunbathing than in his pursuit of squad refurbishments.

“I expect to be busy walking from my towel in the sand to the water, swim a little bit and be back to the sand again,” the Portuguese tactician said.

“That’s where I expect to be busy. But without fun, maybe a little bit [of transfer activity] everywhere, but just a little bit because I like my squad very, very much.

“It’s a young squad with space to improve, and as I was saying before I am in a different position from last season, because then I was more than keen for my club to sell some players. 

“In this moment I am very, very happy to keep my players.

“The base last year was to sell some to buy some, and the base this season is to keep my squad.”

Rivals Manchester United are pursuing big-money transfers for Memphis Depay and Harry Kane, while Manchester City are linked with Paul Pogba and Arsenal are looking at Blues shot-stopper Petr Cech.

Mourinho said he was unconcerned at his rivals’ activity.

“What other clubs are going to do is not going to affect our direction,” Mourinho said.

“If others buy 10 players each, that will not push us to do things we don’t want to do. We are stable.

“Last season we had stability to analyse the needs to improve the team.

“This season we are having stability to keep our squad and to keep our team, but to give some extra motivation to the squad and to give us a couple of extra options to improve the squad.”

Mourinho lauded upcoming opposite number Tony Pulis ahead of Chelsea’s trip to West Brom on Monday.

“If I owned an English club – which I don’t and which I will never do – but I would sign Tony Pulis,” he said.

“It’s as simple as that. It’s because he is a guarantee to achieve what the club wants. 

“He has never managed a club that wants to be champions. He has never managed a club that wants to be in the top four. He is always managing clubs that want to survive, and that want stability. 

“What the club wants, he gives. His record is absolutely amazing. 

“He understands what some people don’t, but I do, and some people don’t rate, but I do, and for me it is the most important thing in football: the relation between what the manager wants and what the team is. 

“And Tony’s team are exactly what he wants, and exactly what he prepares them to be.”