After two hours at a hotel in Paris, we thought we had signed Eden Hazard for Tottenham. It was early 2012 - months before Chelsea were ever serious about him - and I was over at Lille every other week watching him.

Joe Cole was on loan there from Liverpool during that season and he told me he was the best player he had ever played with.

Joe had played with some really great players so he just reinforced what I thought - we were desperate for him to join Tottenham at the time.

But deals are done at a higher level than managers. You recommend a player and hope whoever is doing the deal can get it over the line. Me and Ian Broomfield, my chief scout, spent most of an afternoon with Hazard and his agent in a very nice hotel trying to convince the boy to come.

He was keen to move to London and Tottenham was a good fit for him but once you get that far, you then rely on other people to finish it off.

Chelsea wide boys: How they fared 9 show all Chelsea wide boys: How they fared 1/9 Marko Marin Signed: April 2012 from Werder Bremen



Transfer fee: £6.5 million



Loan spells: Sevilla (2013/14), Fiorentina (2014/15), Anderlecht (2014/15)



Mesut Ozil’s former sidekick in Germany couldn’t make it from the bench to the first team at Stamford Bridge and was never a great fit for Rafa Benitez’s defence-first lineup. His loan history suggests a player on the downward slide; his club cannot currently find a taker for him.



1/5 MICHAL CIZEK/AFP/Getty Images 2/9 Eden Hazard Signed: June 2012 from Lille



Transfer Fee: £32 million



2014’s Player of the Year has developed from a highly-rated prospect to one of Europe’s premier talents. Under Mourinho’s tutelage the Belgian gained the consistency and confidence required to carry the champions with him, turning the course of games at will as against Manchester United last season.



2015-16 may have been a disastrous year for Hazard but he remains Chelsea's most natural talent.



5/5 Mike Hewitt/Getty Images 3/9 Victor Moses Signed: August 2012 from Wigan Athletic



Transfer fee: £10 million



Loan spells: Liverpool (2013/14), Stoke (2014/15), West Ham (2015/16)



A relatively pleasing debut season for the youngster under Rafa Benitez was followed by ever-improving spells at Liverpool and Stoke, where his fine performances convinced Mourinho to give him a shot in the Chelsea squad this season. His direct play may elevate him from home-grown filler to contributor from the bench.



3/5 Getty 4/9 Andre Schurrle Signed: June 2013 from Bayer Leverkusen



Transfer fee: £18 million



Sold: January 2015 to Wolfsburg



Transfer fee received: £22 million



Over 18 months at Stamford Bridge Schurrle developed a knack for scoring vital goals for Chelsea, as in wins over Manchester City and PSG. Bizarrely Mourinho chose to let the winger go in spite of a superb World Cup, replacing him with Cuadrado. But crucial goals and a £4 million profit make the German a unique success.



4/5 GETTY 5/9 Willian Signed: August 2013 from Anzhi Makhachkala



Transfer fee: £30 million







Chelsea blew Tottenham and Liverpool out of the water to acquire the Brazilian, then a flighty playmaker. One of Mourinho’s most impressive achievements was reinventing Willian into a hardworking wide man, and it paid dividends in 2015-16.



4/5 6/9 Christian Atsu Signed: September 2013 from Porto



Transfer fee: £3.5 million



Loan spells: Vitesse Arnhem (2013/14), Everton (2014/15), Bournemouth (2015/16)



The Ghanaian youngster is unlikely to ever make it at his parent club having failed to impress on his loan spells. A spell under Eddie Howe on the south coast may be his last chance to show he is worthy of the English top flight.



1/5 ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP/Getty Images 7/9 Mohamed Salah Signed: January 2014 from FC Basel



Transfer fee: £11 million



Loan spells: Fiorentina (2014/15), Roma (2015/16)



Seemingly bought to keep him from then-title rivals Liverpool, Mourinho could not find room for the Egyptian winger, who has since flourished at Fiorentina. He seems likely to remain in Italy with Roma having agreed a loan deal that included a right to buy. 2/5 8/9 Juan Cuadrado Signed: January 2015 from Fiorentina



Transfer fee: £26.1 million



An impressive crosser of the ball at Fiorentina and the Colombian national team, Cuadrado was expected to challenge Willian and Oscar for a starting role. But he failed to adapt to the English game so far and made little impression on Chelsea, who cut their losses on the winger after just seven months.



1/5 Getty 9/9 Pedro Signed: August 2015 from Barcelona



Transfer fee: £21.4 million



Chelsea swooped ahead of Manchester United to claim the Barcelona forward but, without Lionel Messi and Neymar he doesn't look remotely the same incisive figure. Started 24 Premier League matches in his first season, scoring seven goals. The jury is still out.



2/5 (PAUL ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images) 1/9 Marko Marin Signed: April 2012 from Werder Bremen



Transfer fee: £6.5 million



Loan spells: Sevilla (2013/14), Fiorentina (2014/15), Anderlecht (2014/15)



Mesut Ozil’s former sidekick in Germany couldn’t make it from the bench to the first team at Stamford Bridge and was never a great fit for Rafa Benitez’s defence-first lineup. His loan history suggests a player on the downward slide; his club cannot currently find a taker for him.



1/5 MICHAL CIZEK/AFP/Getty Images 2/9 Eden Hazard Signed: June 2012 from Lille



Transfer Fee: £32 million



2014’s Player of the Year has developed from a highly-rated prospect to one of Europe’s premier talents. Under Mourinho’s tutelage the Belgian gained the consistency and confidence required to carry the champions with him, turning the course of games at will as against Manchester United last season.



2015-16 may have been a disastrous year for Hazard but he remains Chelsea's most natural talent.



5/5 Mike Hewitt/Getty Images 3/9 Victor Moses Signed: August 2012 from Wigan Athletic



Transfer fee: £10 million



Loan spells: Liverpool (2013/14), Stoke (2014/15), West Ham (2015/16)



A relatively pleasing debut season for the youngster under Rafa Benitez was followed by ever-improving spells at Liverpool and Stoke, where his fine performances convinced Mourinho to give him a shot in the Chelsea squad this season. His direct play may elevate him from home-grown filler to contributor from the bench.



3/5 Getty 4/9 Andre Schurrle Signed: June 2013 from Bayer Leverkusen



Transfer fee: £18 million



Sold: January 2015 to Wolfsburg



Transfer fee received: £22 million



Over 18 months at Stamford Bridge Schurrle developed a knack for scoring vital goals for Chelsea, as in wins over Manchester City and PSG. Bizarrely Mourinho chose to let the winger go in spite of a superb World Cup, replacing him with Cuadrado. But crucial goals and a £4 million profit make the German a unique success.



4/5 GETTY 5/9 Willian Signed: August 2013 from Anzhi Makhachkala



Transfer fee: £30 million







Chelsea blew Tottenham and Liverpool out of the water to acquire the Brazilian, then a flighty playmaker. One of Mourinho’s most impressive achievements was reinventing Willian into a hardworking wide man, and it paid dividends in 2015-16.



4/5 6/9 Christian Atsu Signed: September 2013 from Porto



Transfer fee: £3.5 million



Loan spells: Vitesse Arnhem (2013/14), Everton (2014/15), Bournemouth (2015/16)



The Ghanaian youngster is unlikely to ever make it at his parent club having failed to impress on his loan spells. A spell under Eddie Howe on the south coast may be his last chance to show he is worthy of the English top flight.



1/5 ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP/Getty Images 7/9 Mohamed Salah Signed: January 2014 from FC Basel



Transfer fee: £11 million



Loan spells: Fiorentina (2014/15), Roma (2015/16)



Seemingly bought to keep him from then-title rivals Liverpool, Mourinho could not find room for the Egyptian winger, who has since flourished at Fiorentina. He seems likely to remain in Italy with Roma having agreed a loan deal that included a right to buy. 2/5 8/9 Juan Cuadrado Signed: January 2015 from Fiorentina



Transfer fee: £26.1 million



An impressive crosser of the ball at Fiorentina and the Colombian national team, Cuadrado was expected to challenge Willian and Oscar for a starting role. But he failed to adapt to the English game so far and made little impression on Chelsea, who cut their losses on the winger after just seven months.



1/5 Getty 9/9 Pedro Signed: August 2015 from Barcelona



Transfer fee: £21.4 million



Chelsea swooped ahead of Manchester United to claim the Barcelona forward but, without Lionel Messi and Neymar he doesn't look remotely the same incisive figure. Started 24 Premier League matches in his first season, scoring seven goals. The jury is still out.



2/5 (PAUL ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images)

In this case, it didn’t happen. Money was probably the issue and Tottenham could reach an agreement with him for a while. Later on, he went to Chelsea. These things happen and there are lots of deals like that but it’s one I regret more than most, especially when you see how good he is now!