Deco targets Blues glory

12 April 2012

Portugal playmaker Deco immediately set his sights on Premier League and European glory after joining Chelsea from Barcelona on Monday night.

The 30-year-old Brazil-born player is the club's first signing since the appointment of Luiz Felipe Scolari as manager and he is believed to have cost around £8million.

Deco told Chelsea TV: "It is good for me to be here and first of all I am very happy to be here. I am sure I have come at the right time to do great things and be able to help Chelsea go back to the way it was and come back to being the first one, not only in England but also to win the Champions League that has been their dream for so long."

Deco's move will see him link up once again with Scolari, his national coach at Euro 2008, and another Portugal team-mate in Jose Bosingwa, who signed for the club earlier in the summer.

His exit from the Nou Camp proved to a protracted one due to the Catalans' initial valuation of around £11million for the player, despite his age.

The two-time Champions League-winner had been linked with Inter Milan, where his former Porto boss Jose Mourinho is now manager, but the Italians appear to have been put off by the price. Chelsea, however, seem to have negotiated the fee down to sign Deco on what is thought to be a two-year deal.

New coach Scolari officially starts work at Chelsea on Wednesday morning and will undoubtedly be happy with the club's transfer business so far.

Deco's arrival significantly boosts a midfield talent pool already boasting the likes of Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Michael Essien, Mikel Jon Obi and Claude Makelele.

Yet Scolari is likely to have a busy first week ahead of him with top priority likely to be persuading England international Lampard and defender Ricardo Carvalho to stay.

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