Emotional Deco stands by Luiz Felipe Scolari

Deco yesterday delivered a staunch defence of Luiz Felipe Scolari’s conduct in regard to his move to Chelsea in an emotional outburst that will fuel speculation that he wants to join the Brazilian at Stamford Bridge. The Portugal midfield player is desperate to leave Barcelona after a disappointing season and the Spanish club are willing to sell to any club matching their £15 million valuation.

José Mourinho has also expressed his interest in signing him for Inter Milan, but Chelsea are in the driving seat. Deco has enjoyed a close relationship with Scolari during his five years in charge of the Portugal team and appears keen to follow him to London.

“I believe that he was totally honest throughout all this process,” Deco said. “He was at the end of his contract and people have to understand that he has to make the right decisions for his professional career. They also have to understand, because he always speaks honestly and truthfully, that what he says he feels for Portugal is truly in his heart. Anybody who doubts this or uses this to criticise his decision is doing so out of pure malice.”

Deco also backed Scolari to achieve success at Chelsea. The 30-year-old admitted to sadness on hearing of his departure, but claimed it had made Portugal even more determined to win the European Championship. “I was sad when he told us because it means we are losing a man and a coach who was primarily responsible for the way we have recovered confidence as a squad and a team,” Deco said. “He is the man responsible for the spirit and life we have inside this team and for the fantastic sense of unity we have between us.

“But, above all, I was happy for him and I am certain that he will have a lot of success at Chelsea. The dream of Scolari is to conquer something important with the squad. We are all with him and now we are even more motivated to reach our objective, which is to be champions of Europe.”

Scolari’s predecessor at Chelsea, Avram Grant, yesterday raised doubts about whether Mourinho would be a success at Inter Milan. The Israeli feels Mourinho will struggle to cope with the expectations at a club that have won three successive championships. “It is not true that we are not friends,” Grant said. “We were not particular friends before so we have the same relationship. People tried to cause problems between us, but I don’t have any problems with him and wish him all the best in Italy.

“Whether he is successful depends. It is one thing to build up an underdog and another to come off three championships, like Inter – but he is a good coach. He is a clever guy, he’s adapted to other players and I think, if he does the right thing at the right time, and learns from the past, he can continue. It is not easy, but he can do it.”