Jose Mourinho Used 1000 IQ move to Convince Chelsea to Sign New Striker

Jose Mourinho appeared to use a 1000 IQ move to convince Chelsea to sign a new striker.

During his two stints with the Blues, Mourinho lifted three Premier League titles, three League Cups, one FA Cup and one FA Community Shield.

The 'Special One' is widely regarded as one of the best managers of all time, having also taken charge of big clubs like Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Roma.

Speaking recently, former Blues star Steve Sidwell revealed how Mourinho gave him the No.9 shirt to send a message to the Chelsea board.

Sidwell was asked on Sky Sports: "You're a midfielder, why did Jose give you the No.9 shirt?"

He replied: "I thought it was mind games. When I got on the bus for pre-season, Jose said to me 'The No.9 shirt, is that okay for you?' and I was sort of like 'Yeah, fine' because I thought it was mind games from him seeing if I wanted the shirt or not.

"I'm not a striker but again with that No.9 shirt, I think looking back now, it was more mind games between Jose and upstairs because he wanted money to go buy a striker."

Sidwell continued: "They didn't give him the money so he's probably gone 'Right, I'll give this free transfer from Reading the No.9."

"My friends couldn't believe it" 😮
'I think Jose was trying to send a message to the board'

Steve Sidwell explains what happened when he was given the number nine shirt at Chelsea by Jose Mourinho 🔵 pic.twitter.com/0au4zk7Ral

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) September 10, 2025

When asked if Mourinho was trying to make a point to the people above, Sidwell concluded: "I think so, yeah. I did get on the scoresheet once so I'll take that."

In the January transfer window that followed Sidwell's arrival, Chelsea ended up signing striker Nicolas Anelka from Bolton Wanderers for a reported fee of £15 million.

The Frenchman went on to score 59 goals in 184 appearances across all competitions for Chelsea.

During his time at Stamford Bridge, Anelka won one Premier League title and two FA Cup trophies, among other accolades.

After leaving Chelsea in 2012, Anelka went on to play for clubs like Shanghai Shenhua, Juventus, West Bromwich Albion and Mumbai City before calling time on his career in 2015.