Mourinho key to Chelsea move, says Pedro

The 28-year-old moved to Stamford Bridge despite weeks of negotiations with Manchester United and now hopes to match his trophy haul at Camp Nou with his new team

 

Pedro says Jose Mourinho was key to his move to Chelsea having previously been close to joining Manchester United.

The 28-year-old arrived from Barcelona in a deal worth up to £21.4 million (€30m) earlier on Thursday after the Premier League champions had hijacked the Old Trafford outfit's own attempts with an 11th-hour bid.

Pedro, who won 20 trophies during seven years in the Barcelona first team, hopes to continue that success at Stamford Bridge alongside international team-mates Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas and Cesar Azpilicueta.

"It's absolutely great to be here ... [Mourinho] is one of the main reasons why I’m here. He phoned me a few times and said he needed me to make the team stronger," he told the club's official website.

"He has won titles wherever he has been. I am really looking forward to playing under him and hopefully winning more titles.

"I spoke to Cesc. We are very good friends. I knew I would feel at home here and that was one of the main reasons why I decided to join.

"He's a great player, he's got brilliant vision and he links up really well with the other attacking players. I know we work well together on the pitch so I can't wait to play with him again.

"I have also played with Diego Costa and Cesar Azpilicueta before, for the national team, so I feel very comfortable here.

"I do everything possible to win. I have helped Barcelona win titles and I want to do exactly the same thing at Chelsea, because ultimately we are all here to win things.