Jose Mourinho insisted Friday that new signing Juan Cuadrado was not a “panic buy” as the Chelsea manager resumed relations with the media during a tetchy press conference.Mourinho refused to speak to the media before or after Premier League leaders Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City last week because of the Football Association’s decision to ban Diego Costa for stamping in the League Cup semi-final win over Liverpool.Costa was banned for three games for a challenge on Liverpool’s Emre Can, with Mourinho saying excessive media scrutiny was behind the suspension.The Chelsea manager, who risks a Premier League fine for his self-imposed silence, was evidently still agitated on Friday.Indeed, the Portuguese admitted he was only present at the press conference at the club’s Cobham training ground, south of London, because he had to be.Recent decisions against Chelsea were indirectly, and sometimes sarcastically, referred to, as was the fact that Arsene Wenger was not punished for pushing Mourinho in Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge last October.Meanwhile, Mourinho, whose side will kick-off at strugglers Aston Villa on Saturday with a five-point lead over second-placed Manchester City, the reigning champions, pointedly refused to mention Costa by name.
