Jose Mourinho would rather the transfer window was closed but he will continue his pursuit of a new striker until the very end.

After having two bids for Wayne Rooney turned down, Chelsea, Mourinho insisted, "have plan B and plan C". Samuel Eto'o of Anzhi Makhachkala, who played for Internazionale under Mourinho, is a likely next option.

But the manager agrees with Alan Pardew's contention on Monday that the window should not run at the same time as the season. "The transfer window goes too far, into the third and fourth fixture of the season. I agree that it's too much."

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Mourinho would not take sides in Pardew's argument that Arsenal's bid for Yohan Cabaye unsettled Newcastle. "There is not a guilty one," he said. "If you want to leave every one of us out of this strange situation, then close the window differently."

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