{"id":8072,"date":"2026-05-13T23:07:36","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T23:07:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=8072"},"modified":"2026-05-13T23:07:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T23:07:36","slug":"jose-mourinho-news-who-are-his-10-most-expensive-signings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=8072","title":{"rendered":"Jose Mourinho news: Who are his 10 most expensive signings?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p>                                            Updated: 13 May 2026 04:30 BST                                                                                            <span class=\"article-publish-date__separator\">|<\/span><br \/>\n                                                8 min read                                                                                    <\/p>\n<figure class=\"large-img\">\n                                                <picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/f60fff15-c1f6-40ff-9a02-1140b6a97800\/w=1200,h=675,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/f60fff15-c1f6-40ff-9a02-1140b6a97800\/w=640,h=360,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-image-size=\"retina\" class=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" alt=\"Jose Mourinho Didier Drogba Paul Pogba\" src=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/f60fff15-c1f6-40ff-9a02-1140b6a97800\/w=1200,h=675,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto,q=95\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption><figcaption>\u00a9 IMAGO <\/figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"author\">\n<figure class=\"author-thumb\">\n                                                        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-image-size=\"not_specified\" class=\"\" width=\"112\" height=\"112\" alt=\"Matthew Judge\" src=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/cabf9cfd-c4cc-4380-ed4c-22f4716d3500\/w=112,h=112,quality=75,fit=cover,format=auto\"\/>                                                    <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Having managed a number of European heavyweights in a trophy-laden career, it is fair to say Jose Mourinho has worked with several superstars.<\/p>\n<p>From Chelsea and Inter Milan to Real Madrid and Manchester United, the self-proclaimed Special One has often had a wealth of talent at his disposal when pursuing football\u2019s biggest honours.<\/p>\n<p><center class=\"p-1 light-grey-bg\">Article continues under the video<\/center> <\/p>\n<p>And history may repeat itself this summer as La Liga giants Real are pressing ahead with plans to potentially bring Mourinho back to the Bernabeu, according to <b>The Athletic\u2019s David Ornstein<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>But when analysing all of the star names Mourinho has come into contact with, which of them were players he actually signed?<\/p>\n<p>With that question in mind, <b>FootballTransfers<\/b> has decided to take a look at the 10 most expensive signings of the Portuguese\u2019s illustrious career.<\/p>\n<h2>10. Diego Costa (Chelsea &#8211; \u20ac36.9m\/\u00a332m)<\/h2>\n<p>When Mourinho was in his pomp, it felt like he was always able to hit the ground running in his first transfer window at a new club.<\/p>\n<p>And that is exactly what happened in the summer of 2014 when, ahead of a second spell in charge of Chelsea, he was quick to lure Diego Costa away from Atletico Madrid.<\/p>\n<p>And in what proved to be a remarkable first season at Stamford Bridge, the fiery striker scored 21 goals in all competitions as the Blues won the Premier League and League Cup double under Mourinho&#8217;s stewardship.<\/p>\n<div class=\"col-md-12 p-0 d-flex image-container\">\n<figure class=\"article-image\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/c7c73de6-9d36-4642-fe6b-4048d2be2b00\/w=1200,h=800,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/c7c73de6-9d36-4642-fe6b-4048d2be2b00\/w=640,h=427,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-image-size=\"retina\" class=\"lazyload\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Diego Costa\" src=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/c7c73de6-9d36-4642-fe6b-4048d2be2b00\/w=750,h=500,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto,q=95\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption>\u00a9 IMAGO &#8211; Diego Costa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2>9. Michael Essien (Chelsea &#8211; \u20ac38m\/\u00a332.8m)<\/h2>\n<p><i>&#8220;ESSEEEEEEEEEE!&#8221;<\/i><\/p>\n<p>When you see the name \u2018Michael Essien\u2019, your mind immediately recalls Martin Tyler\u2019s famous shriek after the midfielder scored a wonderful goal against Arsenal in December 2006.<\/p>\n<p>Signed in the previous summer transfer window from Lyon, the Ghana legend became a trusted lieutenant in Mourinho\u2019s first stint at Chelsea, making 31 Premier League appearances as the club lifted a second successive title in 2005-06.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Michael Essien&#039;s sensational strike for Chelsea against Arsenal\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eNWXxRnxhwE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>8. Didier Drogba (Chelsea, \u20ac38.5m\/\u00a333.3m)<\/h2>\n<p>In perhaps the best signing of Mourinho\u2019s career, he moved heaven and earth in order to bring Didier Drogba to Chelsea, with the striker going on to become one of the greatest players in the club\u2019s history.<\/p>\n<p>Such was Mourinho\u2019s desperation to sign Drogba from Marseille in 2004 that he famously told then-Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich &#8211; who was unaware of the forward at the time &#8211; to just &#8220;pay and don\u2019t speak.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>And the rest, as they say, is history as Drogba played a significant role in Chelsea claiming seven trophies across Mourinho\u2019s two spells in charge, scoring winners in the League Cup and FA Cup finals in 2006-07.<\/p>\n<div class=\"col-md-12 p-0 d-flex image-container\">\n<figure class=\"article-image\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/b467b5ca-a56d-4741-af60-a9af73571100\/w=1200,h=805,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/b467b5ca-a56d-4741-af60-a9af73571100\/w=640,h=429,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-image-size=\"retina\" class=\"lazyload\" width=\"750\" height=\"503\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Didier Drogba\" src=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/b467b5ca-a56d-4741-af60-a9af73571100\/w=750,h=503,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto,q=95\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption>\u00a9 IMAGO &#8211; Didier Drogba<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2>7. Tammy Abraham (Roma &#8211; \u20ac41m\/\u00a335.4m)<\/h2>\n<p>The most recent signing on this list, Mourinho was also responsible for taking a striker away from Chelsea as he convinced Tammy Abraham to swap west London for Rome in 2021.<\/p>\n<p>Keen to lead the line on a consistent basis after falling out of favour at Chelsea, Abraham flourished under Mourinho\u2019s stewardship in what was a brilliant debut season in Serie A.<\/p>\n<p>The England international scored 27 goals in all competitions as Roma became the first team to win the Conference League, and Mourinho became the first manager to win Europe\u2019s three main club competitions (having also won the Champions League and Europa League twice apiece).<\/p>\n<div class=\"col-md-12 p-0 d-flex image-container\">\n<figure class=\"article-image\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/footballcritic\/dbwoz4fm07t8pimmsggf\/w=1200,h=798,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/footballcritic\/dbwoz4fm07t8pimmsggf\/w=640,h=426,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-image-size=\"retina\" class=\"lazyload\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Tammy Abraham\" src=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/footballcritic\/dbwoz4fm07t8pimmsggf\/w=750,h=500,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto,q=95\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption>\u00a9 IMAGO &#8211; Tammy Abraham<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2>6. Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Man Utd &#8211; \u20ac42m\/\u00a336.3m)<\/h2>\n<p>After being sacked by Chelsea in December 2015, Mourinho was back in the Premier League just five months later as he succeeded Louis van Gaal in the Manchester United hot seat.<\/p>\n<p>Hoping to lead the Red Devils back to their former glory, Mourinho made a number of big-money signings in the summer of 2016, including the capture of Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Borussia Dortmund.<\/p>\n<p>While Mourinho and Mkhitaryan came up short in search of the Premier League title, they still won two trophies together in 2016-17, with United claiming victory in the Europa League and League Cup finals.<\/p>\n<div class=\"col-md-12 p-0 d-flex image-container\">\n<figure class=\"article-image\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/footballcritic\/xwhgulj6rjkadfblnhvh\/w=1200,h=674,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/footballcritic\/xwhgulj6rjkadfblnhvh\/w=640,h=359,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-image-size=\"retina\" class=\"lazyload\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Henrikh Mkhitaryan\" src=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/footballcritic\/xwhgulj6rjkadfblnhvh\/w=750,h=422,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto,q=95\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption>\u00a9 IMAGO &#8211; Henrikh Mkhitaryan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2>5. Andriy Shevchenko (Chelsea &#8211; \u20ac43.9m\/\u00a337.9m)<\/h2>\n<p>Having scored a whopping 173 goals in 296 appearances for Italian giants AC Milan, Andriy Shevchenko was widely regarded as one of the best players in the world in 2006.<\/p>\n<p>However, the Ukraine striker failed to showcase his goalscoring prowess at Chelsea, scoring just four Premier League goals in 30 appearances in 2006-07.<\/p>\n<p>While Shevchenko was signed during Mourinho\u2019s first stint at Chelsea, <b>BBC Sport<\/b> reported at the time that it was a transfer that was actually imposed upon him by Abramovich.<\/p>\n<div class=\"col-md-12 p-0 d-flex image-container\">\n<figure class=\"article-image\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/6852834b-54b6-47e8-5f3a-2ac2d15ec600\/w=1200,h=802,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/6852834b-54b6-47e8-5f3a-2ac2d15ec600\/w=640,h=428,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-image-size=\"retina\" class=\"lazyload\" width=\"750\" height=\"502\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Andriy Shevchenko &#038; Jose Mourinho\" src=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/6852834b-54b6-47e8-5f3a-2ac2d15ec600\/w=750,h=502,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto,q=95\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption>\u00a9 IMAGO &#8211; Andriy Shevchenko &#038; Jose Mourinho<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2>4. Nemanja Matic (Man Utd &#8211; \u20ac44.7m\/\u00a338.6m)<\/h2>\n<p>When looking to bolster United\u2019s midfield ahead of the 2017-18 campaign, Mourinho turned to a familiar face in Nemanja Matic.<\/p>\n<p>Having previously signed the Serbian for Chelsea in January 2014, Mourinho was reunited once again with the powerful midfielder as United looked to build on their Europa League and League Cup triumphs in the previous season.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, Mourinho signed Matic for a third time when in charge of Roma, though there was no cash involved that time.<\/p>\n<div class=\"col-md-12 p-0 d-flex image-container\">\n<figure class=\"article-image\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/b08448ce-a3a5-4bf1-2dd8-890ad7e61300\/w=1200,h=867,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/b08448ce-a3a5-4bf1-2dd8-890ad7e61300\/w=640,h=463,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-image-size=\"retina\" class=\"lazyload\" width=\"750\" height=\"543\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Nemanja Matic\" src=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/b08448ce-a3a5-4bf1-2dd8-890ad7e61300\/w=750,h=543,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto,q=95\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption>\u00a9 IMAGO &#8211; Nemanja Matic<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2>3. Fred (Man Utd &#8211; \u20ac59m\/\u00a351m)<\/h2>\n<p>Despite being linked with a move to United\u2019s arch rivals Manchester City, Fred ended up heading to Old Trafford instead of the Etihad Stadium in 2018.<\/p>\n<p>Having impressed for Paulo Fonseca\u2019s Shakhtar Donetsk, Mourinho decided to splash the cash on the Brazil international, who would go on to form a midfield partnership with Scott McTominay.<\/p>\n<p>However, Fred and Mourinho were only able to work together for six months as the latter was dismissed in December 2018 following a start to the season which had United sitting sixth in the Premier League.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">WATCH: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ManUtd?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ManUtd<\/a> new-boy Fred says he is &#8220;really happy&#8221; to be working with Jose Mourinho as he prepares for what he describes as a must-win match against <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SpursOfficial?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@SpursOfficial<\/a>live on @SkySportsMNF. \u26bd\ud83d\udcfa<\/p>\n<p>Read the full exclusive interview here: https:\/\/t.co\/t8SBxUCuPQ <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/l1IYQva3Ay\">pic.twitter.com\/l1IYQva3Ay<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SkySportsPL\/status\/1032936658960887809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 24, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>2. Romelu Lukaku (Man Utd &#8211; \u20ac84.7m\/\u00a375m)<\/h2>\n<p>In the same summer that saw United sign Matic and Victor Lindelof for sizeable fees, the club also backed Mourinho with the capture of Romelu Lukaku in July 2017.<\/p>\n<p>The 20-time league champions were able to see off competition from Antonio Conte\u2019s Chelsea for the Belgian, who had established himself as one of the Premier League\u2019s best strikers at Everton.<\/p>\n<p>However, while Lukaku scored 27 goals in all competitions in 2017-18, he and Mourinho ended up trophyless that season as United lost the FA Cup final and finished second in the league.<\/p>\n<div class=\"col-md-12 p-0 d-flex image-container\">\n<figure class=\"article-image\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/772c59d5-bdb5-47fc-b79e-58781693da00\/w=1200,h=822,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto\" media=\"(min-width: 960px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/772c59d5-bdb5-47fc-b79e-58781693da00\/w=640,h=439,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto\" media=\"(min-width: 480px)\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-image-size=\"retina\" class=\"lazyload\" width=\"750\" height=\"515\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Romelu Lukaku\" src=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/772c59d5-bdb5-47fc-b79e-58781693da00\/w=750,h=515,quality=95,fit=cover,format=auto,q=95\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption>\u00a9 IMAGO &#8211; Romelu Lukaku<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2>1. Paul Pogba (Man Utd &#8211; \u20ac105m\/\u00a390.8m)<\/h2>\n<p>In the most expensive transfer of Mourinho\u2019s career to date, United brought Paul Pogba back to Old Trafford for a then world-record fee in August 2016.<\/p>\n<p>Frustrated at a lack of opportunities after emerging through United\u2019s youth system, the Frenchman joined Juventus in 2012 and went on to become one of the best midfielders in the world.<\/p>\n<p>While Pogba may have lost that status at United, he did however win the Europa League and League Cup under Mourinho\u2019s tutelage, scoring nine goals in 51 appearances in 2016-17.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Paul Pogba&#039;s first Manchester United goal\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/y9aabMxunuc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Related stories:<\/h2>\n<p><b class=\"arrowed\">Real Madrid\u2019s 10 biggest transfer sale mistakes<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b class=\"arrowed\">Jose Mourinho closing in on Real Madrid return: \u2018He\u2019s already in the dressing room\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b class=\"arrowed\">Transfer Rumours: Chelsea learn Cole Palmer decision as Man Utd &#8216;push&#8217; for signing<\/b><\/p>\n<h2>The FootballTransfers app<\/h2>\n<p>Check out FootballTransfers&#8217; new app for all of football&#8217;s big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.<\/p>\n<p>The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:<\/p>\n<p><b>\u2022Google Play<\/b><\/p>\n<p>\u2022App Store<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-footer-author\">\n<div class=\"article-footer-author__header\">\n                            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"article-footer-author__thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/static.footballtransfers.com\/images\/cf\/image\/upload\/cabf9cfd-c4cc-4380-ed4c-22f4716d3500\/w=112,h=112,quality=75,fit=cover,format=auto\" alt=\"Matthew Judge\" width=\"110\" height=\"110\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"article-footer-author__bio\">\n<p>                Matthew Judge is a freelance sports writer from Liverpool, United Kingdom. He has worked for\/had words published by Everton Football Club, The Independent, Daily Mirror, Stats Perform, Goal, and Squawka, among others.            <\/p>\n<p>            View full bio\n    <\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Updated: 13 May 2026 04:30 BST | 8 min read \u00a9 IMAGO Having managed a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8073,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8072"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8072\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}