Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said on Tuesday that Samuel Etoo may remain at the club next season, despite reports he could return to Spain when his contract expires in June.Mourinho would like to keep the 32-year-old former Mallorca and Barcelona striker, but he says that no final decision will be taken by player or club until nearer the end of the current campaign.With Fernando Torres out for two more weeks with a knee injury, Etoo has become the London clubs principal striker at a decisive phase in the season.And the Chelsea manager said: We have a very trustful relationship with him.Hes the kind of guy that, with his career, he feels very free and very comfortable making decisions just for himself. He feels good, feels happy.He wants to play for titles. He decided to come here to the Premier League to Chelsea, so Samuel is enjoying his career until the end.Well see what he wants to do at the end of the season. Maybe he wants to go to Mallorca, as he promised his son. Maybe he wants to stay with us, or go and finish his career at Inter (Milan).He doesnt need titles, he doesnt need money.Asked if he had ruled out Etoo staying put, Mourinho said: Of course not. Hes a big player, even if he doesnt score 25 goals, because his contribution to the team is very high. We are happy.Cameroon star Etoo has struck eight goals since joining Chelsea following a spell at Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala, including a hat-trick in the recent 3-1 victory over Manchester United.Chelsea will continue their Premier League title challenge when West Ham United visit Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.New signing Mohamed Salah, the 21-year-old Egyptian winger, will not be available following his arrival from Basle as Mourinhos side seek a sixth successive league win.Chelsea trailed leaders Arsenal by two points ahead of the mid-week matches, but Mourinho believes that it is too early to describe his team as potential champions.We are improving a lot – the team, the players – so the future is good, he said. We are going in a good direction. But this season? I dont think so.He added: I expect to win the next match. We go like this. We try and expect to win the next match.It doesnt matter if the next match is against a Championship (second-tier) team in the FA Cup, or a Champions League match against a giant. We are going always to try and win the next match.But what we need, as a guarantee, is the evolution of the team. This must be a guarantee. If we see that our team is the same or even worse than it was in September, thats a big problem.If we see that players like (Eden) Hazard, Oscar and Willian and (Cesar) Azpilicueta are not better now than they were six months ago, thats a big problem. These are things that we need. Its compulsory.The evolution of the team and players is compulsory. Results are a consequence of the evolution. We are doing fine. Lets see what happens. But we always want to win the next match. Thats our culture.You will ask me about playing Manchester City next (on February 3); a stadium and a team where everyone loses (by) four, five or six. Ill tell you we want to win.Mourinho also said that goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will not be spending a fourth season on loan at Atletico Madrid.The Belgium international was loaned to Atletico shortly after joining Chelsea from Genk in 2011, but when asked if he would remain at the Vicente Calderon next season, Mourinho replied simply: No.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 15:43:36 +0000
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