Official: Quaresma joins Blues on loan

Wow. Some pretty good news in the light of all the depression at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea, somehow, have secured the services of Portugese international Ricardo Quaresma on loan from Inter Milan. Here’s how the Chelsea official Web page put it:
“Chelsea Football Club is delighted to announce that we have signed Inter Milan winger Ricardo Quaresma on loan until the end of the season. The Premier League have confirmed the deal.
Quaresma joins us as the sixth Portuguese player in the first team squad, following the summer arrivals of José Bosingwa and Deco, who have also worked under manager Luiz Felipe Scolari at international level.”
Quaresma, who has endured a tumultous start to life in Italy under former Blues boss Jose Mourinho, will no doubt add some much-needed width and, perhaps more importantly, flair to our current side. Of course, he’s also worked with Big Phil before, too, so that should ease his transition. And, yes, he has to be better than our current wide options. Doesn’t he?
Personally, I’ve never rated Ricardo. He’s too erratic and, at times, the most selfish player on earth. However, on loan, it’s a win-win for the Blues. If he fails to adapt, send it back no harm done. However, if he proves to be an asset, he might just assist in winning some hardware this season — which, I must admit, looks unlikely at this point.
Then again, the over-tactical style of Serie A might just have been his worst nightmare. Who knows, maybe the high pace of England will better suit his style. Only time will tell. Hell, recreate that outside-of-the-boot howitzer you scored against us in the 2007 Champions League against the Arsenal and I might just change my view, Ricardo.
Couple questions. 1. Will he be eligible for the CL. I know he played something like five games for Inter in the group stages, but the club left him out of their squad for the knockout stages. Have we submitted our roster yet? Is he eligible? 2. is this a view to a permanent deal. No such statement was made from either club, though Sky says we do have an option of buying.
Anyway, lets welcome Ricardo to the club. Wish you the best, lad. Here’s to ripping apart opposing defenses in the near future.

Wait. This guy on loan??

Inter winger Ricardo Quaresma to trump Spurs and join Chelsea on loan until the end of the season?I’ll keep you posted.

video chelsea

Man Utd look to extend lead on rivals

Rio Ferdinand believes Manchester United have the edge over Liverpool in the title run in as Alex Ferguson's side look to pull away at the top of the Premier League table this weekend.

Having replaced faltering Liverpool at the summit, United will move five points clear of nearest rivals Chelsea and Liverpool if they defeat Everton at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Rafael Benitez's Liverpool, who have drawn seven of their last 10 league outings, entertain Chelsea on Sunday in the biggest fixture of the weekend.

By then, Ferdinand is hoping that United, currently two points clear with a game in hand over Benitez's side, will have opened up a significant gap at the top as they eye a third successive title.

Ferdinand believes that United's experience of winning the Premier League will help them in the run-in.

But the England defender is taking nothing for granted. "It is easier when you have got experienced players in your camp, the likes of (Ryan) Giggs, (Paul) Scholes, players who have won the league before," said Ferdinand.

"There is the experience in there and maybe that is the edge we have got on the other teams, that we've got the experience of older pros who have been there.

"But the important thing is you've got to get momentum.

"If you've got momentum going into the last few games of the season, then you are in a good position to strike then. That counts a lot.

"We love the pressure of playing in big pressure games but everyone would tell you they'd rather win it by 10-20 points but it doesn't happen like that.

"You never get anything easy in life but you've got to work hard and we know that."

Everton's Australian international Tim Cahill heads for Old Trafford eyeing another century of goals after notching his 100th career strike in midweek.

Cahill reached the landmark when he opened the scoring against Arsenal in midweek although David Moyes's side had to settle for a point after Robin Van Persie scored a last minute equaliser for the Gunners.

Everton go into their toughest fixture of the campaign unbeaten in nine games and with an FA Cup replay against neighbours Liverpool to follow next Wednesday.

Yet Belgium international Marouane Fellaini believes that Everton's recent good form will help them get a result at Old Trafford.

"It was awful to give the goal away on Wednesday and we are so disappointed," said Fellaini.

"But we've got a great opportunity ahead of us. We are a good side -- we have shown that on many occasions -- and we are capable of going to Old Trafford to get a good result.

"It is never easy when you go to a place like that but this is a chance for us to show what we are made of and I'm sure the boys want to put things right.

"We proved what we can do against Arsenal, so why can't we play the same way in Manchester? We hope to win but the main thing is to keep working hard."

Who is Marco Storari and why are we signing him?

We let Carlo Cudicini go. OK, that’s fine.
But we go right out and sign a 32-year-old on-loan backup? I’m confused.
Chelsea have wasted little time in tying up a replacement for Carlo, eyeing up Marco Storari, currently on loan from AC Milan at Fiorentina. First, Storari doesn’t even start for Fiorentina. Second, if he’s not good enough to challenge the likes of Kalac, Dida, etc. at Milan, then why are we chasing him? Seriously, how bad do you have to be to get sent on loan over Dida? My word.
Third, and most important, what the hell is wrong Hilario? In my opinion, Hilarious has filled in quite admirably when called upon. So why bring in another 30-plus keeper? Can’t Rhys Taylor be third choice? This is baffling.
More terrible business from Chelsea. Oh, and there’s more. Apparently

Poll: Cuffs or no Cuffs

Our favorite Ivorians seem to have gotten themselves in a wee spot of bother. The two celebrated the first of Kalou’s two goals last night against Middlesbrough with so-called “handcuff” gestures to the crowd. Being that the two hail from the Ivory Coast, most are drawing the conclusion that this little gesture is a reference to recently-freed activist Antoine Assale Tiemoko. The FA has jumped in the mix to investigate.So what do you think? Are they, in fact, paying tribute to this activist? Or are you like me and think the two are simply proclaiming their love for rapper DMX? Let me know people

Kuyt - Chelsea is must-win

Dirk Kuyt admits Liverpool must beat Chelsea and clinch their first Premier League win of 2009 if they are to challenge for the title.
Liverpool's only victory since the New Year has been the FA Cup third round success at Preston.
And after league draws with Stoke, Everton and Wigan the Reds have slipped from top spot into third behind Chelsea, with both sides now chasing defending champions and league leaders Manchester United - who also have a game in hand on their rivals.
But the Dutchman believes they should not be written-off just yet as long as they can recreate the same performance which saw them end the Blues' unbeaten home run last October.
"We have just got to win this game now and show we can beat our big rivals again," reports the Daily Star.
Message
"We've done it once and of course we know that would send out a message to everyone - but we are out to win every game.
"We have had too many draws at the start of the second half to the season, and now the only message we can send out is by beating Chelsea.
"It's a big team, a big game, and we just need to win it."
The 28-year-old forward also believes fit-again striker Fernando Torres is close to recreating the form which saw him bag 29 goals last year having recovered from a hamstring injury.
"You can see every week how he is getting better. It is only a matter of time before he's back scoring goals for us again," Kuyt added.

The “friendly” takeover

We now have more news on the alleged takeover headed by Dr Sulaiman al Fahim.

The Guardian spoke with one of the investors, German Holger Heims, who said that the proposal would include six to seven investors and would not be of the hostile variety.

“We have no intention of launching a hostile takeover. This is only possible as a friendly deal,” he said.

No talks between the investors and Roman have taken place thus far. And we all know that PK has repeatedly said Romes isn’t interested in selling the club. Who knows for sure, though?

For now, we’ll just have to wait until the 2008 financial statements are released next month. Let’s hope it’s good news.

Say it ain’t so, Carlo

One of the last remnants of the pre-Roman era of Chelsea has finally moved on.

Goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini agreed a move today to Tottenham on a free transfer. It was a move that many of us assumed would happen each season for the past three. However, it never did — as Carlo’s loyatly to the Blues continued to shine.

Now it seems as if his thirst for first-team football has finally won out. One can’t help but thank him dearly for his dedication and service to the club, which was at times marvelling. Carlo, at 35, was out of contract at the end of the season and was no doubt going to move on from Chelsea. But that doesn’t take away from the shock of the departure.

A couple of quotes on Carlo’s move via the official Web page.

Luiz Felipe Scolari said: “I am pleased for Carlo that with this move he will now have more opportunities to play more games as he is a fantastic goalkeeper. I wish him all the very best at his new club.”

PK added: “Carlo has been an outstanding player for Chelsea for almost 10 years and his service during that time has been excellent. We appreciate this move offered him the possibility of more first team football and we wish him all the very best as he moves on. Carlo will always be warmly welcomed back to Stamford Bridge.”

What did he have, a 50 percent rate of saving penalty kicks? Are you kidding me? That’s off the charts. In all, Cudi made 210 starts for Chelsea.

Despite joining that trash up the road, we wish you the best Carlo. I’m looking forward to you returning to the club after you retire, as there’s no doubt a coaching job is in your future.

Below is a highlight package of the man. For those new fans who only know of Cech, pay close attention — especially to that stunning stop on Van Nistlerooy’s volley. Top draw my friends.

video Chelsea vs Ipswich

video Chelsea - Middlesbrough 2-0 Highlights 28/01/09

FA Cup Draw: Away to Watford

The FA Cup fifth-round draw was just completed and Chelsea have drawn an away tie with Championship side Watford. Not bad I’d say.
This tie will have some ties, too. “Would you like to tie me up with your ties, Ty?”
What am I talking about? Watford boss Brendan Rodgers will be hosting his former club Chelsea, where he was youth team manager. Blues youngstas Jack Cork and Liam Bridcutt are also on loan at Watford.
Here’s the draw in full (Ties to be played Feb. 14-15):
Sheffield Utd v Hull City
Watford v Chelsea
West Ham v Middlesbrough
Sunderland or Blackburn v Coventry
Derby or Nottm Forest v Manchester United
Swansea v Fulham
Liverpool or Everton v Doncaster or Aston Villa
Cardiff City or Arsenal v West Bromwich or Burnley

Roman must speak up

Once again, rumors of a Chelsea sale have surfaced. This has become commonplace over the last couple of months, and while most have to be rubbished, the sheer amount of stories has to be taken into account at some point.
This time, the man behind Manchester City’s takeover in the summer is the chief character in the story. Dr Sulaiman al-Fahim, who brokered Abu Dhabi’s 200m purchase, is supposedly working with Switzerland-based private equity firm ­Falcon Equity on a proposal to take our beloved Blues off the hands of one Roman Abramovich.

Are reinforcements on the horizon?

Can we talk about today’s historic events for just a second? What. A. Day.
Man, I can’t really put it all into perspective. All I can say is, I loved every minute of it. Well, almost every minute. What was up with that poem? Anyway, he’s to a new era, hopefully one of hope, change and love.
On with the show.
So Joey boy is done for the year. A ruptured knee ligament did the business to our only legitimate wing option this season.
PK and Scolari have repeatedly said only money would be available in a crisis. Well, this is sort of a crisis. So the question begs: Will we see a new face roaming Stamford Bridge before the end of the month?
Well, there are signs that we’re at least inquiring about a few players.
The first name to surface this week was Jermaine Pennant. Next.
Then there was David Bentley. Next.
Now we’re looking at Wigan’s maestro, Antonio Valencia. Now we’re talking. The 23-year-old has been a constant for Wigan over the past two seasons, and has looked incredibly good at the same time. He’s not cup-tied, is well-adapted to the Premier League and has an end product (paging Flo?). The Daily Mail reckons we’ll toss a 7 million offer at Wigan and see if they bite. I doubt they will.
Real Madrid just recently pulled out of the running for the winger. Good for us. Manchester United have been tracking Valencia since last season. Bad. A bidding war wouldn’t be the best thing for either club at the moment, but who knows if United are willing to spend more this window. If not, we could probably strike a deal for around 15-16mil. Personally, it’s seems like decent business to me.
Let’s take a look at it. Valencia is actually better than any of our current wing options, including Joe Cole. And even if we break the bank in the summer, he would still be a valuable asset. In fact, he could probably still start; if not, he’s the kind of bench material we’ve needed since we the likes of Duff, Robben and Eidur got the hook.
Then there’s Robinho.
Yes, the man that has run out on Manchester City. Well, we don’t know that for sure. He says he returned to Brazil to attend to a family matter. With that being said, this is a longshot.
However, if he is in fact displeased with the club for whatever reason, who’s to say we shouldn’t make a cheeky bid for the 24-year-old. I mean, he has acclimated well to the Premier League. And, while he may be a spoiled brat, he might just cheer right up wearing our shade of blue. I’m willing to take a punt, but I digress.
What do you guys think? Will we be making a move in the next week or so? Or will we be riding with what we’ve got until the summer