Jose Mourinho: Signing Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona was "unexpected"

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 11 March 2015

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says that he is "happy" with the speed with which Cesc Fabregas has readapted to the demands of Premier League football.

Jose Mourinho has admitted that he was surprised to see Cesc Fabregas join Chelsea last summer, claiming that the transfer helped change the profile of the West London outfit.

The Spanish international, who has previously spent eight years at local rivals Arsenal, made a £30m switch to Stamford Bridge from Barcelona after the Gunners reportedly decided against making a move.

Fabregas has become a key player for the Blues this season, particularly in the first half of the campaign, with his goals and assists propelling the club to the Premier League summit.

"As a kid he was fantastic," Mourinho told reporters. "He played the final against us when he was 18, 19 and we had [Michael] Essien, [Claude] Makelele, [Michael] Ballack, [Frank] Lampard.

"I never felt he could work with me as he was at Arsenal. When I was at Madrid, he was at Barcelona. It was unexpected for me that he wanted to come to Chelsea. It was fantastic for our team as he changed the profile of our team.

"We were waiting for a player with his characteristics to change our profile and we're happy with how he adapted. He's happy playing for us as it's a question when a player was at a rival club."

Chelsea take on Paris Saint-Germain this evening in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, following a 1-1 draw from the reverse meeting three weeks ago.