EUROPEAN SOCCER:A FORMER Chelsea star was unveiled as Real Madrid's latest galactico yesterday – but it was not Ashley Cole nor Frank Lampard. And as the flashes went off around him at the Santiago Bernabeu, Jose Mourinho quickly moved to insist that nor would it be.

Mourinho rejected speculation surrounding bids for Lampard and Cole, claiming his relationship with his former players does not necessarily mean they would follow him to Spain. The conclusion that is easiest to draw is often wrong, Mourinho said.

Madrid appear ready to hand their coach power over the building of the squad and summer signings.

Last week Mourinho suggested he was interested in bringing Cole, Lampard and Steven Gerrard to Madrid. There was a different message yesterday. While Mourinho intimated that there would be a change in Madrid’s transfer approach, he refused to be drawn on specific targets.

“I don’t want to talk about names, it is too early,” Mourinho said. “Every word, [costs] €1 million more. Ten words, €10 million. So, we should not talk about players. We don’t need enormous or dramatic changes. We need three or four players for the coach to have a team that can adapt to his ideas.

“It is very easy to connect me or my club with ex-players because everyone knows the kind of relationship I had with those players – Maicon, Lampard or Ashley Cole. Because I always establish deep relationships with my players it is easy to put their names in the papers.”

He earlier visited the club’s trophy room with the president. “When we walked past [Madrid’s] last European Cup, the president said he missed it,” Mourinho said. “I said: ‘I only won my last one 10 days ago and I miss that too’.”

“I can’t promise that we [will win the European Cup]. But I can promise that when we go into the draw, although we won’t be seeds we won’t be scared. The teams that will be scared will be the teams that could get us.

“They’re the unlucky ones.”

Guardian Service