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Chelsea lure Carvalho from Portuguese champs
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-07-29 07:38
Chelsea continued their spending spree by signing Portugal defender
Ricardo Carvalho from Porto to a three-year contract for around 30 million euros
(US$36.50 million) on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old Carvalho will link up with his former coach Jose Mourinho on
the English premier league club.
"Ricardo Carvalho tonight signed a three-year contract with Chelsea and will
jet out with (chief executive) Peter Kenyon to join the squad in the US tomorrow
(Wednesday)," Chelsea said on their website.
Carvalho played a key role in Porto's Champions League-winning campaign under
Mourinho last season and Portugal's run to the Euro 2004 final. He has 10
international caps.
"Ricardo is a player that fits our profile. We have filled the last (squad)
opening at centre-back and we now arrive with four excellent players in this
position," said Mourinho, who also has John Terry, William Gallas and Robert
Huth to call upon in the middle of the defence.
Carvalho is Chelsea's seventh major signing under Mourinho.
He joins Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba, Dutch winger Arjen Robben, Czech
goalkeeper Petr Cech, Serbia and Montenegro striker Mateja Kezman, Portugal
midfielder Tiago Mendes and Portugal defender Paulo Ferreira.
Carvalho's arrival brings Chelsea's spending since the end of last season to
around US$185 million and to more than 200 million since Russian billionaire
Roman Abramovich took control of the club a year ago.
"We are delighted that Ricardo has signed with us as he
was being chased by top clubs all over Europe," said Kenyon. "He proved during
Euro 2004 and in the past two seasons with Porto that he is one of the top
centre-backs in the game."
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