EPL high Spenders: Jose Mourinho's Paradox

The new season of the English Premier League starts on August 8 and ahead of the opener is the curtain raiser between Arsenal and Chelsea in the Community Shield on Sunday.

However, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has started his mind games ahead of the new season. The Portuguese had earlier claimed that the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool were trying to buy the title with their spending spree. No sooner had the dust settled on that comment, that he added Arsenal to that list. Claiming that the notion that Arsene Wenger does not spend is untrue and requested that a calculator be used to show the amount Arsenal have spent in the last three years. He was quick to mention the monies spent in signing Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, Calum Chambers, Mathieu Debuchy, and most recently Petr Cech.

That Arsenal have spent in excess of £100 million in transfers since 2013 is not in dispute, but what has led to the financial shackles to be lifted is what many of hypocritical linings have failed to acknowledged.

The North Londoners only recently regained their spending touch after years of penny pinching; whereas, Chelsea have been high spenders for the last decade.

The Chelsea manager is obviously uncomfortable with how the financial landscape has changed. Previously, he was the only manager that could afford to spend big on any player during his first spell in England, when Chelsea gleefully distorted the transfer market with huge transfer fees and wages. Since the Oligarch, Roman Abramovich became Chelsea's owner in 2003; the club has spent over £900 million in transfer fees. Fees that even a calculator would find difficult to collate.

Jose Mourinho has a philosophy of been a manager that spends big on players wherever he has managed. And he does not stop at throwing his tramps anytime there is a lack of spending as reported by sections of the media a couple of weeks ago.

While Arsenal were hindered by a Stadium move for a decade which resulted in financial austerity a situation that was best reflected in the club's inability to raise two million pounds to sign Robin van Persie in January 2004, which meant he had to wait for another six months before he was signed.

Arsene Wenger was a willing spender during his early years as Arsenal manager. He signed the likes of Robert Pires, Jen Lehmann, Thierry Henry, Sylvain Wiltord, Gilberto Silva and Edu. Henry and Wiltord arrived with a combined fee of £22 million in 1999 and 2001.

However, the austerity years meant Arsene Wenger had to call on his developmental attributes to bring through young players while Chelsea were spending large sums on the likes of William Carvalho, Ferreira, Micheal Essien, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Mateza Kezma, Didier Drogba, Damian Duff, Scott Parker and Arjen Robben.

Mourinho signed both the players he needed and those he did not need as he spent unreservedly with no restriction in place.

Even in the absence of Jose Mourinho as Chelsea's manager, the club still maintained their huge spending as reflected by the combined £74 million to sign Fernando Torres and David Luiz in January 2011, with the former accounting for £50 million.

The restrictions imposed by UEFA's Financial Fair play (FFP) rule and the English FA's homegrown quota has not stopped Chelsea from being high spenders. The only difference is that they now sell before buying, by dispatching players they do not need on huge transfer fees, players they initially bought with a high price.

Signed---------------Sold (£)

David Luiz----24m/48m

Romelu Lukaku--18m/28m

Andre Schurrle--18m/25m

Kevin De Bruyne--14m/26m

Ironically it is the strategy that Arsene Wenger used for several years when he signed players for small amounts, but sold them on huge profits, like Nicolas Anelka that was signed for £500,000 but sold for £22 million in 1999 after two years.

The only difference here is that Chelsea signs and sells on huge transfer fees.

Jose Mourinho will not miss any opportunity to get at a rival, and for several months he has aimed jibes Arsenal's way, apparently, he feels Arsenal could be closest to any team to challenge Chelsea to the title in the coming season.

When a manager regularly talks of a rival, it is an acknowledgment of the fact that such a rival is a threat.

The spending talk is a way to put pressure on his rivals while diverting attention from the lack of spending at Stamford Bridge to date. A situation, if it does not change before the transfer window closes, would become a regular reference point Jose Mourinho would use throughout the coming season.

In the end, there is actually no club that does not spend, but some are high spenders than others. And Chelsea bears the touch as one of the highest spender's with their activity over the last decade.