Mourinho reveals what he told Chelsea owner in order to sign Drogba from Marseille

Former Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho has revealed how he convinced Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to sign Didier Drogba from Marseille in 2004.

According to Mourinho, he simply told Roman Abramovich to "pay and don't speak" when he mentioned Drogba as the strike he wanted signed.

The Portuguese stated this ahead of his “forthright opinions” on the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea on Saturday.

After the discussion with the billionaire, Drogba became one of Mourinho’s first signing at Stamford Bridge. He scored 157 goals in all competition for Chelsea and won lots of domestic and international trophies during his time at the club.

“Drogba is the kind of guy who is so loyal that he never forgot that I took him from Marseille to the Premier League, where he was not even expected, because he didn’t start very young at that level,” Mourinho told beIN SPORTS.

“He had already played for Guingamp, Marseille, Le Mans, so when I took him to Chelsea I remember clearly Abramovich was asking me, ‘Who? Who do you want as a striker?’i

"Wth all the big names in Europe at that time I said Drogba. ‘Who is he? Where’s he playing?’ (I said) ‘Mr Abramovich – pay. Pay, and don’t speak.’

“And Didier was an iconic player for Chelsea, for the Premier League.”