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Register now before the season start on 15 August 2008 and create your own team, don't forget to pick Chelsea players..

Once register, join 'Brunei Chelsea FC' with code:

480021-98709

Whilst admitting the 7-0 victory was pleasing on the eye, it has come with a down side.

Questions are already being asked about the quality of the opposition (Ghengdu Blades) and the merit of playing a team that were never in the same league as us.

Naturally, as many of you pointed out in the comment thread after the match report, a lot of these criticisms are coming from supporters of other clubs and, quite rightly, you`ve responded by implying that the teams they`ve been playing are not far from the same level as Chengdu Blades.

The quality of the opposition is a point that Luiz Felipe Scolari picked up on in his post match press conference where he commented,

"At the moment I don`t want to be playing a team that is stronger because we need to build up for our first game of the season against Portsmouth."

"We are not here only to play a game because there are other reasons. But if you asked me to pick an opponent for my team in this moment in time I`d do the same."

"What was important is that we looked better than the opening match on Wednesday. The team played with more freedom. They didn`t look so heavy and they were in better condition."

"We have moved up a step in our fitness, which was more important than the game. I need to get to know my players better and build up for the season, so in that respect I am happy with the game."

Perhaps it should also be recognised that the tour was arranged before Scolari took over and that the furore may well die when we come up against stiffer opposition in the Railway Cup in Russia.

Chelsea played their second game of their Far East tour against Chengdu Blades, in Macau.

The game was played in conditions that were particularly draining with the high humidity and temperature meaning that taking liquids on board would be essential.

Missing from the Chelsea squad were Jose Bosingwa (thigh injury), Andriy Shevchenko (niggling injury) and Michael Ballack who had only just joined up with the party after and extended summer break.

The opposition, Chengdu Blades, are owned by Sheffield United!

The first half saw Chelsea dominate their opponents and go into the break with a three goal lead. In a stadium that was far from full, goals from Anelka, Kalou and Lampard gave us that comfortable lead.

The first goal came in the fifteenth minute when Anelka raced onto a great through ball from Wright-Phillips, Having beaten the offside trap he nicked the ball around the keeper and slotted it home.

The second came in the thirtieth minute when Wright-Phillips, once again, threaded a ball through to Anelka who squared it for Kalou to score from fourteen yards out.

The third, on thirty seven minutes, was created by some wonderful skill from Kalou down the left flank and when the ball was pulled back to Lampard he made no mistake firing home from the edge of the area.

Other highlights of the half were some teasing crosses from Wright-Phillips and some lovely forward play from Anelka.

The only down side being two challenges from Deco that, in the Premier League; could well have produced a yellow card.

The second half saw Scolari introduce five substitutes at half time and, as expected; three more were introduced later in the half.

On the pitch Chelsea continued to dominate and scored four more during the half.

The first, and fourth goal of the game, came in the fifty-fifth minute when Joe Cole, on for only three minutes, ran onto an Anelka through ball to round the keeper and slide home the ball with his left foot.

The fifth of the game came in the sixty-sixth minute when Di Santo netted after a good piece of work from Joe Cole enabled Carvalho to produce a devastating cross that mesmerised the home defence.

The sixth came in the eighty second minute when Joe Cole fired home from close range after an Essien cross had been fired into the box and the seventh, and last, came two minutes later when some good individual skill from Malouda, flowed by a fierce shot that was way off target, hit Wright-Phillips on the back and flew past a startled keeper.

All in all a comfortable win against very limited opposition.

Team - Cech (Hilario-60), Ferreira (Ivanovic-46), Alex (Carvalho-46), Terry (J.Cole-52), A.Cole (Bridge-46), Essien, Deco, Lampard (Mikel-46), Wright-Phillips, Anelka (Di-Santo 60), Kalou (Malouda-46)

Unused Sub - Cudicini,

Chelsea Scorers- Anelka, Kalou, Lampard, J.Cole (2), Di Santo, Wright-Philips

Chelsea Yellow Cards - Nil

Chelsea Red Cards - Nil

Chelsea vs Chengdu Blades 12.30 UK time and 8pm Brunei Time! Please check your local listings! (should be in Astro Supersport)

The opposition are Chengdu Blades and it gives Luiz Felipe Scolari another opportunity to see how his squad performs in a match situation.

There's a fair chance that Scolari will give everyone an opportunity to be involved, just as he did in the first match which was won a very convincing 4-0.

At the time of writing, the only absentee, through injury, is likely to be Jose Bosingwa who picked up a thigh injury nineteen minutes into his Chelsea debut.

Scolari will need to decide whether Paulo Ferriera or Branislav Ivanovic replace the unfortunate Bosingwa.

Elsewhere, Joe Cole, who missed the first game with an ankle injury, is likely to feature in a game that is, once again, more about achieving full match fitness and practising tactics than the performance. However, Scolari will be keen to register a win as the Premier League season edges ever nearer.

One player who is clearly looking forward to the fixture is Salomon Kalou. During a recent interview Kalou commented on the fact that, in the first game, he was allowed to play as an out and out striker remarking,

'Since I've been at Chelsea I've played in every position along the front, left-winger and right-winger, but this season it looks like I will have the chance to play as a second striker.'

'I'm feeling comfortable with that position, and even though I have top names in front of me like Anelka and Drogba, football is strange and everyone has the chance to show what they can do.'

'If the manager gives me that opportunity it's my goal to make one of those positions mine.'

The Ivorian has also spoken out about how excited the squad are about the coming season and he's not been afraid to tell us about exactly how life under Avram Grant was explaining,

'Under Avram Grant it was all about team-work, being defensive, not conceding and trying to score just one.'

'But this year it will be different. The new manager wants to play a more attacking game.'

'Grant didn't really change anything when he took over from Jose Mourinho. But you can see from the players Scolari has brought in, and the way we played in his first game, that things are going to be different this time.'

'We have new players and a new system. On Wednesday we played with Deco, Essien, Lampard and Mikel in the middle and no wingers.'

'It was the first time since I've been at Chelsea that we have played with four midfield players and two strikers. Normally we play with two defensive midfielders and two wingers. The key difference this season is that every player tries to attack. This can make a huge impact, as all our players are comfortable with the system.

'Players like Deco, Ballack, Essien and Lampard can really put good balls through to the strikers, so it's going to be a good season for us.'

'I am really looking forward to playing attacking football. I am sure we can make it better this year.'

It would seem that it's not only us, the supporters, who are excited about 2008-2009 but the players are as well.

Bring it on.

Guangzhou 0 - Chelsea 4

Chelsea kicked off their pre-season with a fine 4-0 win over a strong Guangzhou Pharmaceuticals side in China this afternoon.

In a very open game, TBO basically played all 22 in his squad, with keepers Cech and Carlo playing a half each. Cech made one notable excellent stop at the end of the first half to be replaced by our likeable Italian, who did not have much to do in truth.

The opening stages were open, with GP allowing us a lot of room on the ball to play our game. Bosingwa looked incredibly quick and assured down the right, with Ash playing a much more advanced role opposite him than we've seen previously. Perhaps a sign of things to come - who knows? Deco was excellent in the first half, with him instrumental in all that Chelsea were doing. The energy levels on the little guy are phenomenal, that is for sure. Chelsea's first goal came through Solomon Kalou, whose direct running and raw pace caused problems for the Chinese all the time he was on the pitch. Occasionally guilty of some poor decision-making, he made amends with a well-worked goal in the first half. Lampard endured a rather anonymous game with some poor passing and the notable absence of his trademark grin, but still scored a wonderous chip after initially being foiled by the GP keeper. 2-0 Chelsea and all looked fine.

The third came from debutant Franco Di Santo who ended a fine Malouda move with a clinical finish and our fourth came late on with a great strike from Shaun Wright-Phillips. Also making his debut was Bran Ivanovic who looked compact, tidy and excellent on the ball.

In all a fine win, but let us not get too carried away - first game of pre-season and there is much to be done. Positives were Deco's apparently seamless integration into a role at the tip of our diamond, and the absolute quality of Bosingwa, who looked the absolute business. Also to be singled out for praise is Wayne Bridge who looked absolutely brilliant when he came on for Ashley Cole and was unlucky to hit the woodwork with a long-range effort that the GP keeper was nowhere near.

You thoughts below please!

CHELSEA VS CHINA PHARMACEUTICALS (FRIENDLY MATCH)

Friendly match tonight! So check your local listings for any live telecast! I hope there is! Btw, here is an update of Chelsea players who has left;
1- Claude Makalele to PSG
2- Steve Sidwell to Aston Villa
3- Khalid Boulahrouz to Stuttgart

Leaving Chelsea to be;
1- Tal Ben Haim to Man City
2- Belletti to Spanish Club
3-Shaun Wright Phillips to Portsmouth
4- Florent Malouda to Roma
5- Didier Drogba to Barcelona/Real Madrid
6- Frank Lampard to Inter Milan

New Chelsea Players;
1- Deco from Barca.
2- Bosingwa from FC Porto

Next Target for Chelsea;
1-Robinho
2-Kaka
3-Samuel Eto'o
4- Andrei Arshavin

"KAKA will go IF he wants to."

Friends this is an great development in Chelsea's Pursuit of Kaka!

Milan Vice President Adriano Galliani has made an sparkling statement in a press conference that Kaka Will be sold only if he wants to leave.

Here is the statement made By Milan's VP Galliani-

"We`ll never sell him, even if a €300 million (£238m) offer is made.

"The only reason for us to sell him would be if the player said he wanted to leave."

This is an important development as Kaka has said he is will assess the situation once he returns to Milan

And we all are aware about the statement made by his Advisor.

Also one thing should be noted that Kaka has made regular statements last season that Ronaldinhio will be a burden to Milan but now as he has arrived he has changed his view and has welcome him and said he would be great for Milan.

So its just my view that Kaka's change of opinion might be due to please the fans as to prepare him to leave Milan and Galliani is a shrewd person so he is just increasing the price as he knows Kaka's heart is set on to join Scolari at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea Will Be In Malaysia 29/7

We will see these players in Malaysia...

Frank Lampard Will Be Stay At Chelsea

PETER Kenyon has confirmed Inter Milan's £7.95million offer for England midfielder Frank Lampard will be rejected.

The Chelsea chief executive also insists that he expects Lampard to honour the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge if they cannot persuade him to sign a new deal.Lampard is alleged to be unhappy that his future at the club remains unresolved but Kenyon is adamant that their offer of a contract extension remains on the table.

"The situation is ongoing," said Kenyon.

We have always maintained that we want Frank to stay and an offer was made to that effect. That offer is still on the table. Frank is under contract and he still has one year to run on that. We'd like to hope we can reach an agreement but if we can't we have always worked on the basis that Frank sees out the terms of his contract. Chelsea has made its position very clear to Internazionale and they have come back now with a financial offer. That will be rejected.

"Kenyon also rejected accusations that new coach Luiz Felipe Scolari tried to persuade the club to give Lampard a five-year deal. "It is totally untrue that Felipe was pushing the club or putting pressure on us to change the offer to Frank," said Kenyon.

Aston Villa have agreed to sign Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell – Martin O'Neill's first capture of what is expected to be a hectic second half of the summer. The Midlands club have settled on what is believed to be a fee of around £5m for the former Reading player, subject to him passing a medical test.If all is well, Sidwell will link up with Villa's pre-season tour of Switzerland. Sidwell has been one of O'Neill's main transfer targets since the season ended.

Crespo's Chelsea contract not renewed

Chelsea have released Hernan Crespo after his contract at Stamford Bridge expired.

Crespo had not actually played for Chelsea since the 2005/6 season after falling out of favour with Jose Mourinho.

The Argentinian spent the last two seasons on loan with Internazionale, having played for AC Milan in 2004/5.

Crespo was one of the first signings made by Claudio Ranieri after Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003, scoring 12 goals in his opening campaign.

However, after Mourinho's arrival he was shipped out to Milan, playing and scoring in the Champions League final defeat to Liverpool in Istanbul.

A Chelsea statement read: "We thank Hernan for his efforts in a Chelsea shirt, and wish him well in the future."

Chelsea offer player plus cash for Barcelona's Eto'o

The Sun reports that Chelsea are prepared to offer FC Barcelona £18m plus the services of out-of-favour winger Florent Malouda in exchange for Samuel Eto'o.

The Cameroonian striker, who had the best minutes/goals ratio of all Liga forwards last season, is surplus to requirements at Camp Nou and seems likely to move on.

The Sun claims that Chelsea are on the lookout for a potential replacement for Didier Drogba, who could be Milan-bound for £22m.

ROMAN: BUY A RUSSIAN

Roman Abramovich has told Big Phil Scolari to sign at least one Russian player this summer.

The billionaire Chelsea boss has given Scolari the choice between star striker Andrei Arshavin, left-winger Yuri Zhirkov, keeper Igor Akinfeyev or striker Roman Pavlyuchenko, according to sources in Moscow.

Main target Arshavin is due to meet Zenit president Alexander Dyukov to discuss his future.

Sources close to the player say he would reject a £4m-a-year wages offer to stay in St Petersburg.

Zenit spokesman Konstantin Sarsania said: “On Thursday, players from the national team return to our training camp.

“Arshavin and his agent Pavel Andreev are to clarify their position with us then. We do not want to sell Arshavin. That’s exactly why we need Andrei to meet the bosses of the club "– to understand what he is really after Zenit spokesman Konstantin Sarsania

“We do not want to sell Arshavin. That’s exactly why we need Andrei to meet the bosses of the club – to understand what he is really after.

“My understanding was that he would like to go and play abroad. But he isn’t only interested in moving to Barcelona.

“There’s also Chelsea. Andrei never rejected the idea of moving there.

“The Chelsea managers know the situation and have already talked to his agent.”

Arshavin said last night: “I can’t say anything yet.

“My future may be decided in the next day or may remain unresolved for another six months.”

Meanwhile, Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko cut short his summer break in the US to start training on his own a week early.

The Ukraine star is keen to impress new boss Scolari, who has told his Blues squad he plans to look at all of them before deciding if he wants to ship anyone out.

Shevchenko has employed a personal trainer to put him through his paces before joining team-mates to meet Scolari for the first time on Monday.

A pal of Shevchenko revealed last night: “He has come back a week early to work on his fitness. It is not because he isn’t fit – he kept in pretty good shape during the holiday. It is just because he wanted to get prepared for the new season under a new manager.

“Scolari, it seems, has said he wants to have a look at all ofthe players before making any

decisions, which is refreshing.

“Andriy definitely wants to stay at Chelsea and the rumours about a loan move to Barcelona I don’t think are true. It looks like he will be given the opportunity to prove his worth by Scolari.”

The pal stressed Shevchenko was working on his general fitness and was not currently using Darren Campbell.

Campbell, the 200m silver medal winner at the 2000 Olympics, helped Shevchenko sharpen up last season with some sprint routines.

The 31-year-old’s attitude looks sure to impress boss Scolari.

The 2004 European Footballer of the Year remains desperate not to be labelled a £30m flop at Stamford Bridge.

In two seasons at the club he has scored 22 goals in 76 appearances, including 23 as a substitute.

Scolari Given £250m To Spend This Summer

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has reportedly shelled out a staggering £250 million with which new coach Luiz Felipe Scolari will rebuild the squad this summer...

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Just how much rebuilding is required of a squad that already has such an incredible value remains debatable, but the boss is sparing no expense in allowing the new coach to mould the team into exactly what he wants.

The Daily Star reports that yesterday's signing of Deco will be the start of a long month or two of transfer dealings at Stamford Bridge, with Deco's ex-Barcelona team-mate Ronaldinho widely expected to be the next big-money signing.

Abramovich was seen at several Euro 2008 games in Austria and Switzerland, perhaps surveying the talent and doing a little scouting.

With Jose Bosingwa already signed prior to the commencement of the tournament, another area in which Chelsea are likely to strengthen is up front - particularly if Didier Drogba leaves - as well as on the wings.

Ricardo Quaresma is being followed closely by former Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho at Internazionale, and they appear favourites to land the Porto star, while Andrei Arshavin has his heart set on Barcelona, who have first refusal on the Russian ace.

The likes of Karim Benzema and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar remain outside possibilities, while Real Madrid's Robinho is being reported as their primary transfer target at the moment, with rumours rife that he will leave the Spanish champions to make way for the supposedly inevitable incoming of Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United.

Lampard To Inter Agreed For £7m - Report

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard is reported to have agreed to join Internazionale, with the clubs agreeing on a fee of £7 million, despite recent claims that a deal would not be reached this summer...

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Former Blues boss Jose Mourinho, now in charge of Inter, said earlier this week that signing Lampard would not be possible this summer, hinting that a deal would be reached at the end of the coming season.

However, the Daily Mail reports that a fee has been agreed between the two clubs following Chelsea's decision to sign Deco, which is said to have left Lampard, 30, extremely disillusioned as to where he stands at Stamford Bridge.

The England international is thought to have been offered £6 million-a-year at San Siro on a four year contract, though there has been no public announcement from the club to suggest as such.

The report concludes stating that once the former West Ham United man returns from holiday in Sicily at the end of this week he will be officially unveiled as Jose Mourinho's first signing.

FRANK LAMPARD, WE WILL FECKING MISS YOU! CHELSEA CHELSEA CHELSEA!

BRAZILIANS TO CHELSEA!!

The Barcelona superstar openly declared his desire to play for the Blues in a bid to speed up talks between the two clubs.

Scolari led Brazil to World Cup glory in 2002 with Ronaldinho as the key man and now wants to work with him again at Stamford Bridge.

Ronaldinho, 28, said: “It’s marvellous Big Phil is interested in signing me because he’s an excellent manager.

“I have great respect for him because I’ve known him since I was a little kid and he was manager of Gremio.

“If this opportunity to work with him again comes off it will be beautiful.

“We have a joint history in the world of football. We won a World Cup together which I will never forget.”

Former Portugal coach Scolari has already raided Barca to make playmaker Deco his first Chelsea signing for £8.3million.

Now Ronaldinho is set to leave the Nou Camp after two trophy-less seasons in which he has come under fierce flak for his partying lifestyle.

Before that, he led the Spanish giants to two La Liga titles and a Champions League crown — and was voted World Player of the Year in successive seasons as a result.

But he has failed to reproduce that scintillating form and his off-field activities openly came into question in the Catalan media.

Ronaldinho has been out of action since March and is now training to recover from a thigh injury — with critics slamming his tubby appearance.

He is aiming to take part in the Beijing Olympics with Brazil next month as part of his recuperation programme, although Barca are against the idea.

Ronnie added: “It’s something that motivates me greatly.

“One of my objectives is to go to the Games and I am preparing myself for this.

“I haven’t been to Barcelona yet to speak to the club, my thoughts are focused on my recovery and to return to action.

“When the time comes I will speak to the club to resolve the situation.

“I think the peak of my career has not arrived yet.

“I am dreaming of winning many more titles with Brazil, which is what motivates me to train. I am still very young to think I’ve won everything.”

Asked if he was the ‘King of the Night’ he responded: “I’ve always been like this, I never had problems in my life because of it.

''My routine was always the same but football is like this. When the trophies don’t come, people start inventing a vast number of things.

“My life as a single man has never interfered in my professional life.”

Ronaldinho’s fellow Brazilian Robinho is also wanted by Chelsea — according to his agent Vagner Ribeiro.

Ribeiro claimed he met Blues sporting director Frank Arnesen to discuss a move for the Real Madrid striker.

He said: “Chelsea have been after Robinho for a while and there has been much more contact since Scolari became coach.

“I met with Frank Arnesen in London and he confirmed that Chelsea wanted my player for next season.”

Real are reportedly keen to offload Robinho, 24, to free up some cash to buy Manchester United goal-king Cristiano Ronaldo.

But Ribeiro rapped: “We don’t like this attitude and want Madrid to start valuing Robinho because at the moment they’re not. Robinho is as good a player as Ronaldo — or better.”

Factfile About Deco...

Anderson Luis de Souza, OIH (born August 27, 1977 in São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil) is a professional Portuguese Brazilian footballer widely known as "Deco". He plays internationally for Portugal and plays his club football for English club Chelsea. Deco has already played for Corinthians, Corinthians (AL), FC Alverca, Salgueiros, FC Porto, and FC Barcelona


He is now playing for english Premier League side Chelsea. Deco started off his career at Nacional Atlético Clube in the city of São Paulo, where he was spotted and signed by Corinthians. Despite making a couple of appearances for the Brazilian giant, he was deemed too feeble for professional football and was shipped off to Corinthians' franchise Corinthians Alagoano.
Deco arrived in Portugal in 1997 at the age of 19 along with fellow Brazilian player Caju, after being acquired by Lisbon side SL Benfica along with the Corinthians Alagoano franchise.


Despite good showings in training, Benfica decided to loan Deco to the Portuguese Liga de Honra side FC Alverca where he played for a season. Deco performed well and was close to renewing his contract with Benfica and joining the main squad. However, the Lisbon club and the player's representative did not reach an agreement, as the then manager Graeme Souness did not believe that he would develop into a player worth keeping. Subsequently Deco was traded to Porto side S.C. Salgueiros in the 1998-99 season, playing 12 games and scoring two goals. His performances caught the eye of the FC Porto staff, and during the winter transfer window, he was sold to Porto.






Under the guidance of José Mourinho, Deco was given the role of leading an ambitious Porto team. A key figure in the 2002-03 season, he scored 10 goals in 30 games, but nevertheless received seventeen yellow cards and one red card. Deco was one of the key players in Porto's UEFA Cup final 3-2 win over Celtic F.C. that year. In the 2003-04 season, Deco helped Porto recapture the national title and led the team to the 2004 UEFA Champions League Final in which Porto won 3-0 over Monaco, scoring the second goal of the match. He was the Champions League's top assist provider and also suffered the most fouls in the Champions League that season. That season, Deco won the UEFA Most Valuable Player, as well as the award for the best midfielder in the competition.





On June 17, 2004, Deco told a Portuguese radio station that he would almost certainly join English side Chelsea (then coached by Mourinho) following Euro 2004. He said that a transfer deal between Porto and Chelsea had been all but finalized, and that the only remaining steps were passing a physical examination and signing a formal contract with Chelsea.


However, on June 26, 2004 he told the Portuguese sports daily O Jogo that he would rather move to Barcelona than follow Mourinho to Chelsea. While Bayern Munich gave up on Deco after the Chelsea deal seemed to have been concluded, it was still uncertain whether the German side would make a new bid. The best offer at that time was a €21m bid from Barça, but this figure was still €4m short of the request by Porto's board. Portuguese newspapers then reported that Barça would try to offer Portuguese winger Ricardo Quaresma as part of the exchange in order to ease the deal.


Finally, a deal was achieved between Porto and Barcelona the day after the Euro 2004 final. Barça agreed on a €12m fee, plus the complete rights of Ricardo Quaresma to Porto. Deco signed a four year deal with the Catalan side on 6 July 2004.


In Barcelona, some suggested Deco would be completely eclipsed by Brazilian star Ronaldinho (a duo that according to Luiz Felipe Scolari "can make rain fall"). Indeed, many Barcelona fans met the transfer with raised eyebrows, as Deco was considered an attacking midfielder - a department which was already well covered. Instead, coach Frank Rijkaard used him in a pure central midfield position, where his tactical knowledge, defensive abilities, and enormous work rate surprised many. In December 2004, he came second in France Football's Ballon D'Or 2004 award, losing to Andriy Shevchenko and beating team mate Ronaldinho by six votes.


On June 30, 2008, Chelsea signed Deco from Barcelona on a three year contract for €10 million. He is the first signing of new Chelsea coach Luis Felipe Scolari, who was the national coach of Portugal.

DECO JOINS CHELSEA! WOO HOOOOOO!

Hellooooooooooooooooo~ I am back after a long vacation and as I woke up this morning, I read that Deco has joined Chelsea! Surprise, surprise!! ( Actually it was a done deal already when Deco was reportedly seeing Roman at his yacht during the EURO2008 campaign!)

Below is taken from the Daily Star. Enjoy!

New boss Phil Scolari started his Chelsea rev-olution last night with the £8m capture of Portugal midfielder Deco.

The 30-year-old had been told he was surplus to requirements at Barcelona and the new Stamford Bridge boss moved moved quickly to land a player he has worked with at international level.

Deco’s arrival boosts a midfield line-up already featuring the likes of Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Michael Essien, Mikel Jon Obi and Claude Makelele.

And one of Scolari’s priorities when he starts work today will be to set up talks with Lampard to resolve the England midfielder’s future.

Lampard is currently still on holiday on a luxury yacht off the coast of Sicily.

He is due back for pre-season training next week, but did nothing to dampen speculation about a possible link up with former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan.

Lampard said: “Inter? Let’s wait and see. For the moment I am here on holiday with my family.

“My future at Chelsea? I don’t know anything yet.

“Italy is a beautiful country but I am not due to meet anyone here.”

Reports in Italy suggest that Lampard will be offered a £6m-a-year contract by Inter director Massimo Moratti and technical director Marco Branca later this week.

Chelsea have already paid £16.5m for another Portugal star, full back Jose Bosingwa, but face a fight to hang on to a third – Ricardo Carvalho.

He has been linked with both Inter and Real Madrid.

And Brazilian defender Alcides claimed yeserday he is returning from a loan spell at PSV Eindhoven to replace Carvalho at Stamford Bridge.

Alcides said: “PSV wanted me to stay but I have learned that Chelsea want me back.

“It seems Carvalho is leaving and I am going to replace him.”

New boss Scolari is also keen to push through a move for Real Madrid’s Robinho as he sets about spending the massive £250m transfer kitty that owner Roman Abramovich has put at his disposal.