Six English players Jose Mourinho signed in his career

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Kolkata, August 20: AS Roma recently completed the signing of England international striker Tammy Abraham from Chelsea in a deal worth around €40 million as Jose Mourinho looks to bring success to the Giallorossi.

Expectations will be massive from the 23-year-old as he joins the Italian capital club as the replacement of Edin Dzeko, who himself moved to Inter Milan in the summer transfer window.

Despite the fact that Mourinho has spent a considerable amount of his managerial career in England, he is not particularly known for signing English players. In fact, he only signed six English players in his whole career prior to Abraham which is a surprise because he Premier League heavyweights like Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. I

Here, we look at the six English players he formerly signed and how they fared for their respective clubs.

1. Shaun Wright-Philips - Chelsea

Following his impressive showings for Manchester City, Chelsea decided to break the bank for Shaun Wright-Philips back in 2005 but the Englishman could never truly justify his price tag at Stamford Bridge. He spent three years at the club but could never really become a regular in the first team setup.

2. Ashley Cole - Chelsea

Cole is one of the best signings ever made by Mourinho and easily the best English player he ever signed. Cole made his controversial move to Stamford Bridge from arch rivals Arsenal back in 2006 and went on to become a legend of the Blues. He spent eight memorable years at Chelsea making 338 appearances for the club across all competitions and helping them win one Premier League title, four FA Cups, the 2012 Champions League and the 2013 Europa League.

3. Steve Sidwell - Chelsea

Yet another Mourinho signing at Chelsea that did not quite work out for either party, Sidwell could only last for one season at Stamford Bridge following his move to the club from Reading in 2007. The versatile midfielder struggled for playing time under Mourinho managing to make just 25 appearances in the 2007-08 season and scored just one goal.

4. Michael Hector - Chelsea

A versatile defender, Hector, was the only Englishman Mourinho signed during his second spell as the manager of Chelsea. He signed for the Blues from Reading in 2015 was loaned straight back to the Royals for the remainder of the campaign. The defender spent the next three seasons on loan as well at various clubs, before being eventually shipped off to Fulham permanently in 2019.

5. Lee Grant - Manchester United

Veteran goalkeeper Grant joined Manchester United from Stoke City in 2018 as the only English player to be signed by Mourinho at Old Trafford. Mourinho signed him as a third-choice goalkeeper for the Red Devils behind David de Gea and Sergio Romero. The 38-year-old continues to ply his trade at Old Trafford, but has just made two appearances for the Red Devils till date.

6. Joe Hart - Tottenham Hotspur

Mourinho's only English signing while in charge of Tottenham was former England number one Hart, with the former Manchester City star not even playing a single minute during the 2020-21 Premier League season. The 34-year-old made just 10 appearances for the club in total and moved to Scottish club Celtic ahead the 2021-22 campaign.