Jose Mourinho eyes £50m signing as Chelsea medical staff row rumbles on

Jose Mourinho has been heavily criticised for his treatment of Chelsea's doctor

A DEFIANT Jose Mourinho is set to stick two fingers - and two strangers - up to the world as he bids to ride out the major crisis that has engulfed him.

 

The Portugese man of war will face a very public trial by TV when he takes Chelsea to Manchester City this afternoon as the row over his treatment of club doctor Eva Carneiro and physio Jon Fearn now threatens to escalate into a legal battle.

And two previously unknown medics he will replace them with on his bench at The Etihad today will face similar intense scrutiny.

The banished Ms Carneiro is also understood to have consulted lawyers about a potential case for constructive dismissal.

Reclusive club owner Roman Abramovich, who has just given his controversial coach a new four-year contract, must be wondering what he's let himself in for as well.

Mourinho's war with his medics - and a new spat with Arsenal nemesis Arsene Wenger - threatens to overshadow a match against Manchester City that could press an early season panic button in some quarters.

If Chelsea were to lose this afternoon it would leave them five points adrift of both Manchester rivals after just two games and at a time when doubts over Diego Costa's long-term fitness grow alarmingly.

 

Chelsea doctor Eva Carneiro and head physio Jon Fearn treat Chelsea's Eden Hazard

Mourinho gave all the impressions of not giving a damn last night despite considerable condemnation of his actions.

He insisted that he and his players, who are bizarrely likely to play second fiddle to their manager and his bench this afternoon as far as the world's media is concerned, will not be distracted by the medical mayhem. They would, he said, "play as normal."

And he still found time to have a pop at Wenger after the Frenchman suggested a 'lack of unity' at Chelsea following Mourinho's actions.

When asked if he was surprised that Manchester City's Manuel Pellegrini - another manager he has clashed with in the past - had not been fired after failing to win the title last season he responded with a thinly disguised swipe at Wenger suggesting he had "disappointed for 15 years" but still kept his job!

In a few rare moments of normality Mourinho vowed that his champions would get better despite disappointing starts to the season against Arsenal and Swansea.

He said: "My players and my team will improve for sure.  If we are not buying a lot, the way to compete against the improvement of other teams is to be better. Every one of us has to perform better. We must give more."

 

But he revealed that there could be a couple of new faces before the transfer window shuts to help the process.

"One defender comes for sure and perhaps another, maybe yes, maybe not," he said.

Then it was back to Jose's wacky world again with a suggestion that Chelsea's success last season had 'forced' Manchester City to splash the cash this summer.

"Yes, because we were champions," insisted Mourinho who didn't rule out Chelsea forking out £50million for a player either.

He added: "Chelsea is Chelsea and Mr Abramovich is Mr Abramovich.

"The board has worked so well over the years making money with sales. If somebody has the right  - the moral right – to do that (spend £50million) then I say that Chelsea is one of them. People seem to forget that we have sold and done fantastic business as well.

 

"We have sold Kakuta to Sevilla for a few million, Romeu to Southampton for some more millions. And there is David Luiz and Felipe Luiz.

"Even when you are not speaking about the top players we sell, Chelsea makes money. So if one day Chelsea wants to make a very important buy I think Chelsea has economic and moral conditions for that."

In the meantime Mourinho will run the media gauntlet today without the suspended Thibaut Courtios - possibly Costa as well - and, of course Ms Carneiro and Fearn.

But one thing you can be sure of, this particular man of war, will not surrender.

Despite all the other battles he is facing, Mourinho delivered a defiant message to City last night: "We will go to win. I always try to win."