5 worst signings by Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho is considered by many as one of the best managers of his era. Despite having no distinguished career as a player, he rose to the pinnacle of world football from the humblest of beginnings.

The footballing world was at awe when he led a mediocre Porto side to the Champions League glory in 2004. The next season, Chelsea, rich with Roman Abramovic money, came calling for his signature. Chelsea won two Premier League titles under him. He duplicated his success at Inter and Real.

However, after leaving Real Madrid for a second spell at Chelsea, after another Premier League title, the aura of The Chosen One had started losing its gleam. He joined Manchester United after being sacked by Chelsea. Even after spending big money, United stays currently at 7th position. Mourinho is looking forward to making some essential buys during this January transfer window.

Over his stint as the manager of several top European giants, Jose bought many players and turned them into world-class footballers. But in recent years, most of his signings failed to live up to expectations. Here is the list of five flawed signings by Jose Mourinho.

#5 Radamel Falcao

After a failed spell at Manchester United, Mourinho convinced Falcao to join Chelsea in the summer of 2015 on a loan deal. He even took a 50% wage cut to prove himself at Chelsea. Following his arrival, Mourinho talked to the media expressing his trust in the player's ability. "If I can help Falcao reach his level again, I will do it. It hurts me people in England think that the real Falcao is the one we saw at United." His words were oozing confidence and the footballing world, convinced of Mourinho's ability to bring the best out a player, believed that Falcao would develop under Jose.

Consistent injuries and lack of form restricted Falcao's appearances to just 12 and scored only a single goal for Chelsea in all competitions. Soon after this successful loan spell he returned to Monaco and became one the most feared strikers in Ligue 1.

#4 Nuri Sahin

Real Madrid v Ponferradina - Copa del Rey

2010/2011 was one the whirlwind seasons in the history of German Bundesliga. Under the management of Jurgen Klopp came forth a group of relatively lesser known footballers who won the league, putting an end to the Bayern dynasty. Nuri Sahin was their midfield maestro, the orchestrator. He was the kind of disciplined midfielder Real craved for. A year after Mourinho took charge of Real, he brought Sahin in for a mere £9.00m fee. Sahin was expected to break into the first team and add steel and vigour to the Los Blancos midfield.

However, he could barely make it into the first team. He made only ten appearances, scored a goal, and bagged an assist during his one year spell for Real. At the end of the season, he was loaned out to Liverpool. Sahin currently plays for the German outfit Werder Bremen.

#3 Fabio Coentrao

Real Madrid CF v Cornella - Copa Del Rey: Round of 32

Following a string of impressive performances as the left back for Benfica, Coentrao joined Real after extensive negotiations for a hefty fee of £21.60m. He was signed to share the workload with the magnificent left-back Marcelo, but couldn't rise to the level demanded by Real Madrid.

Even though he made a handful of appearances in his first two seasons for Real, his performances under Mourinho were far from impressive. He never posed any threat the left back position Marcelo had made his own.

After the second season, Coentrao spent most of his time on the Madrid bench, but he played good roles in Madrid's quest to La Décima under Carlo Ancelotti, starting in the semis against Bayern and the final versus Atlético de Madrid.

During his four year spell for Los Blancos, he managed 106 appearances but remained far from being first team figure during most of his stint. He was loaned out to various clubs after his fourth season and he now plays for his boyhood club Rio Ave.

#2 Ricardo Quaresma

FC Internazionale Milano vs AS Bari - Serie A 2009/2010

On his day, Quaresma can hypnotise defenders with technique and trickery just like Cristiano. His talent was evident to the spectators whenever he was on form, but what he lacked was consistency. He emulated his International teammate so spectacularly at times which compelled the then Inter Milan manager Mourinho to approach Porto with big money for his signature. Expectations were high when he signed for Inter in 2008 for a fee of £22.14m.

Quaresma was only a ghost of his past for Inter. For Inter, he was not the quick and confident player who could break even the strongest of defences. He was wasteful, sloppy at times and failed to deliver when it mattered. He was criticised for the lack of discipline by Mourinho. He made 32 appearances for Inter and was sold to Besiktas in 2011.

#1 Andriy Shevchenko

Shevchenko was one of the best strikers in the history of world football. It was at the peak of his career he was signed by Mourinho for Chelsea. For Milan, Shevchenko always delivered. Whenever he touched the ball near the penalty area, there was elevating feel among the Milan fans, and he found the back of the net consistently. During the summer of 2006, he left Milan for Chelsea for £39.49m.

In the very first game for Chelsea, he scored a beautiful goal past the Liverpool goalkeeper showcasing his talents to the Chelsea fans. Optimism rose around Stamford Bridge. Fans started dreaming big. Jerseys with his name were sold in large numbers. It was as though he was the star they were waiting for. But the elation didn't last long. He gradually lost his form. The goals were few and far between. Barely half a season passed before he was branded as a flop.

Shevchenko made 77 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea and scored 22 goals before moving to AC Milan on loan. He was later sold to his old club Dynamo Kyiv.

Edited by Victor R. Lopez M.