Mourinho rails at over-priced Villa

14 April 2012

Jose Mourinho has admitted that Chelsea's wild spending days are over after ruling out a move for David Villa, the £30million-rated Valencia striker aiming to dent his Champions League hopes tonight.

Mourinho, who failed to make a signing in the January transfer window, insisted he can no longer break the bank to sign the world's leading players.

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Overpriced: Chelsea won't pay silly money for David Villa

The Chelsea manager said: "Villa is a great player and he could play in a big team, but we don't want to sign him. I can tell you that here at Chelsea, spending silly money is all over.

"We have two excellent forwards as things stand and from what I hear about the price, they are asking silly money for him."

Chelsea's refusal to pay top dollar is unlikely to be followed by the host of top clubs trailing the 25-year-old Spain striker.

Villa leads Valencia's attack tonight intent on helping the two-time runners-up move closer to a first European Cup. Overcoming Chelsea and triumphing in the Athens final on May 25 could be a perfect swansong for the striker ahead of an estimated £30m move.

He is certainly not short of suitors, with Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez and Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson waiting in the wings.

However, for now, at least, Villa is happy to toe the party line. "The game already has enough incentives to motivate me and it is not necessary to look for others," he said.

"I am only thinking about eliminating Chelsea and winning games in La Liga. When the season finishes we will see what happens."

Villa's contract runs until 2013. If he does seek a summer move, or if Valencia decide to cash in on, his destination will not just be decided by euros.

For, even in these cynical times, there may be more to life for a player brought up in a modest home in the Asturias region of northern Spain than his bank balance.

Loyalty, not lolly, is said to be his watchword.

At the height of the speculation linking him with Liverpool he famously commented: "I don't like the Beatles."

His humble beginnings may offer a major clue as to his mindset. He has not always been so wanted - Oviedo, his local club, had no time for him as a child.

Oviedo's loss proved to be the gain of Sporting Gijon, who picked him up after he had served his apprenticeship with minnows Union Popular de Langreo.

His inbred work ethic led him to score 41 league goals in his first two seasons in the Second Division.

Real Zaragoza paid £2m for his services in 2003, with Villa hitting 17 league goals in his first season in the Spanish top flight with 15 in the next campaign. Valencia met the £8m buy-out clause and he netted 25 goals.

A World Cup call-up followed, as did three goals in four appearances at Germany 2006.

He has since edged ahead of Raul and Fernando Torres in the pecking order and partnered Valencia team-mate Fernando Morientes in the recent 2-1 win over Denmark in which both were on target.

Villa has 11 goals in the league this term, to say nothing of five in eight Champions League appearances and has been instrumental in securing Valencia's passage to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea will be hoping he does not choose tonight to add another few million to his price tag.

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