Carlo Ancelotti insists he "really wanted" Fernando Torres and that the forward was not thrust upon him by Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.
Chelsea paid a British record £50million fee to sign Torres from Liverpool on transfer deadline day and the striker is set to make his debut against his old club on Sunday.
However, there have been suggestions that the deal for Torres was the wish of Abramovich, who presented former manager Jose Mourinho with the gift of Andrei Shevchenko in 2006.
Ancelotti, though, is adamant that Torres had been a long-term target for the Blues and that he was fully behind the drive to bring the Spain international to Stamford Bridge.
The Premier League champions also secured Brazil defender David Luiz before the window closed and Ancelotti is happy with the club's transfer business.
The future
"No, it's not the same as Shevchenko," said Ancelotti. "I really wanted Torres for this squad. I asked for Torres.
"Torres was a player that we wanted at the end of the last season. We tried then but it was impossible. We tried again and there was a chance at this time.
"We speak day by day about any player, about how we have to improve the team. Day by day we spoke that we needed to have defenders because we had a lot of problems with Alex. So we found a very good defender in David Luiz.
"If he is a present for me I have to say thanks! He is a very good player. I think he is a present for the club.
"I think that Torres for us is important because he is the present. He is also the future of the club because he is still young at 26, as well as having a lot of experience."
