Jose Mourinho Talks Pedro, Louis van Gaal, John Terry, More in Chelsea Presser

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho refused to say he “beat” Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal to the signing of Barcelona star Pedro while speaking to reporters on Friday during a press conference ahead of the Blues' match against West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.  

As shared by the club's official Twitter account, he said he simply saw an opportunity and capitalised:

As reported by BBC Sport, the Blues signed the Spain international on Thursday after weeks of speculation linking the player with a move to United.

However, Mourinho suggested Pedro is unlikely to face West Brom, saying, "I don't know if the new players are available for Sunday or not," per Chelsea.

Chelsea have started their Premier League title defence in poor form, dropping points against Swansea City before suffering a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City. The Blues were thoroughly outplayed by the Citizens, although Mourinho believes the “best team” lost that match, per Miguel Delaney of ESPN FC:

In the wake of that loss, the squad has reportedly trained “better than ever” ahead of Sunday's clash. Despite the poor start, Mourinho remains optimistic about the upcoming season, reminding everyone of his track record when starting a campaign with mixed results, per Delaney:

On the subject of the new arrivals, he expressed his delight at welcoming both Pedro and Abdul Baba Rahman, praising the latter's potential and calling the former “one of the best attacking players in the world.”

He particularly likes Pedro's attitude and desire to do even more with his career, making the decision to leave his boyhood club in order to chase more silverware, per Delaney:

Looking ahead at West Brom, Mourinho confirmed Thibaut Courtois will reclaim his spot in goal after sitting out the match against City due to a suspension. Asked whether John Terry will start, he refused to give a definitive answer while downplaying the decision to take him off of the pitch for Kurt Zouma against City, per Delaney:

Oscar and Victor Moses will not return in time to make the squad, so Ramires is expected to star alongside Willian and Eden Hazard behind lone striker Diego Costa once again.

The Blues are in dire need of a win on Sunday in order to find some momentum, as the gap with fellow title contenders City already sits at five points. Mourinho has never managed to beat West Brom manager Tony Pulis, adding yet another layer of intrigue to what should already be a cracking match.

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