Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has explained his surprise
swoop for Steve Sidwell, insisting the former Reading midfielder
has a good "mentality".
Sidwell officially joined the Blues on July 1 after agreeing a free
transfer in May and Mourinho feels he will be a strong addition to
his Stamford Bridge squad.
Mourinho told Chelsea TV: "He is a player I like. He is a player
with the mentality which is very welcome in our dressing room and
our philosophy.
"He is an English player with English mentality completely adapted
to the Premiership with a successful period at Reading.
"He is wishing for new things for his career, playing for a big
club and winning titles is a dream for any young player so yes he
is a player I would like to have and I told the board we should try
to sign."
Mourinho has also snapped up out-of-contract stars Tal Ben Haim and
Claudio Pizzaro this summer, but insists he is under no pressure
from the board to limit his spending.
Mourinho added: "Nobody from the board said 'Jose, you have to only
bring in players on a Bosman because we have no money to
spend'.
"I think it's bad business if you only bring in players under the
Bosman law and they are not good enough.
"If the only reason you are bringing them is because they are free,
they become expensive. The point is to bring in good players."