Chelsea’s Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho has praised the transfer of Ghana international defender Baba Rahman from Augsburg to the English Premier League champions.

The talented defender attracted serious interest from the likes of Paris St-Germain, Real Madrid, Juventus and Roma before Chelsea completed his transfer.

The 21-year-old has been one of the top performers at his German club, attempting more crosses than any other player in the Bundesliga during the last season.

Excited about the capture of his new defender, Mourinho spoke about how the Ghana international fits into his squad.

“It’s important because he’s a left-back and he can compete with Azpilicueta. At the same time, Azpi can also compete with Ivanovic for the right-back position,” the coach told the media.

Rahman was thought to be Mourinho’s replacement for Brazilian defender Filipe Luis, who was sold back to former Spanish club Atletico Madrid, and the coach confirmed that assumption.

“This player replaces Filipe Luis in terms of the balance of the squad. Hopefully next week he will be ready,” Mourinho said.

Speaking to the Chelsea website following his move, Rahman revealed his defensive strategy.

“I’m a left back and, as a defender, it’s important for me to be strong in the tackle, which I always try to be. I also like to get forward as much as possible and help the team in attack,” he said.

“I can play as a winger but I haven’t played in midfield for a while. ‘It’s very important because obviously if you can provide crosses from out wide there is a higher chance of providing assists and chances for the team,” the defender added.