Deco ‘to join Scolari’s Chelsea’

Deco has won both the European and Uefa Cup in his career

Barcelona midfielder Deco will join his Portugal boss Luiz Felipe Scolari at Chelsea, BBC Sport understands.

Reports in Portugal that Deco had met with Blues owner Roman Abramovich on Thursday were denied by the player in Spanish newspaper El Mundo Deportivo.

But Mike Sewell, BBC Five Live’s man with the Portugal squad, said sources were tipping him to move to Chelsea.

“They believe Deco will go with Scolari rather than join up with old boss Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan,” he said.

Barca confirmed recently that Deco was free to talk to other teams. Scolari takes over at Stamford Bridge on 1 July after overseeing Portugal’s Euro 2008 campaign.

The Brazil-born star joined Barcelona from Porto in 2004 after helping the Portuguese side win the Uefa Cup, Champions League and domestic league titles under Mourinho.

He won two league championships with the Catalan giants, and was part of the team that beat Arsenal in the Champions League final in Paris in 2006.

606: DEBATE I really like Deco even though he’s old. Now we need to sell Malouda Chelseawintitle’s

However, a series of injuries have hampered his season, and he made just 14 starts in Barcelona’s La Liga campaign.

Sewell added that Deco had left the Portugal camp on Thursday after being granted 24 hours’ leave by Scolari.

“He flew to Barcelona to sort out a personal matter, believed to be the finalising of his divorce,” he said.

Panathinaikos appoint Ten Cate

Henk ten Cate moves to Greece to lead Panathinaikos

Former Chelsea assistant manager Henk ten Cate has taken over as the new coach of Greek side Panathinaikos.

The Dutchman takes up the role after both he and manager Avram Grant were sacked by Chelsea in May.

Ten Cate said: “Panathinaikos’ history, ambition and attitude towards football in general match those of the greatest football clubs in Europe.

“I’ve been used to working at the highest level and that’s why I consider this a great challenge.”

The 53-year-old signed a two-year contract and succeeds Jose Peseiro.

606: DEBATE
Give your reaction to the story here

The Dutchman was sacked by Chelsea five days after Grant was dismissed despite the club reaching the Champions League final and finishing second in the Premier League.

Before moving to Chelsea in October, Ten Cate previously managed Dutch side Ajax and helped Barcelona win the Champions League and Spanish title in 2006 as an assistant to former coach Frank Rijkaard.

Panathinaikos finished third in the Greek Super League last season.

Chelsea players welcome Scolari

Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho has led the welcoming committee for new manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, who will take over at Stamford Bridge on 1 July.

Carvalho is part of the Portugal team showing impressive form under Scolari, with two successive wins in Euro 2008.

The 30-year-old said: “He is a great manager and a big personality. He’s the kind of guy that players respond to and I think we can go forward with him.”

Fellow Portugal and Blues star Paulo Ferreira said: “He can do a good job.”

Chelsea announced on Wednesday that Scolari will become their new manager two days after the Euro 2008 final.

News of the end of Chelsea’s search for a successor to the sacked Avram Grant came as a surprise as it was believed no formal announcement would be made until after Portugal’s Euro 2008 campaign was over.

Carvalho added: “We were all shocked by the news. We heard the rumours but didn’t guess he would be going to Chelsea after the Euros.”

606: COMMENT
There is a lingering feeling that Chelsea have taken a big gamble

BBC Sport’s Phil McNulty

After the announcement, Chelsea said no further comment would be made “out of respect for his current role and to ensure minimum disruption to this work”.

And on Thursday, Portugal cancelled a scheduled media conference in which Scolari would undoubtedly have faced questions about his new role.

However, the Portuguese football federation (FPF) released a statement on Thursday afternoon that confirmed Scolari’s move to Chelsea.

The statement read: “The FPF understands it is an opportunity not to be refused and he cannot let it pass by.

“The FPF would like to thank the work and commitment of Luiz Felipe Scolari over the years and for elevating Portuguese football to the top of the international game.”

It is already clear that Scolari’s move has gone down well with the Portuguese contingent at Chelsea.

And it seems Carvalho may now be persuaded to stay with the Blues after questions had been raised over his future at the club.

Carvalho had admitted he would like to work again with former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, who has just taken over at Inter Milan.

Ferreira, another of Portugal’s Euro 2008 squad, has also been buoyed by the news he will work under Scolari at club level next season.

He told BBC Sport: “I think Scolari is a good manager and it will be good for the club.”

Ferreira welcomes Scolari appointment

Scolari, who won the World Cup with his native Brazil in 2002, is likely to be unveiled during the first week of July, at which time the details of his contract will also be revealed.

The 59-year-old Brazilian, who has no experience of managing at club level in Europe, famously turned down the chance to manage England after Sven-Goran Eriksson’s departure in 2006.

Before becoming an international manager, Scolari enjoyed success at club level in Brazil, winning South America’s equivalent of the Champions League – the Copa Libertadores – with two different clubs.

Terry ‘haunted’ by penalty miss

Terry is still trying to come to terms with his costly penalty miss

Chelsea’s John Terry says his penalty miss in the Champions League final will haunt him for the rest of his life.

“I am so sorry for missing the penalty and denying the fans, my team-mates, family and friends the chance to be European champions,” he said.

“I have relived that moment every minute since it happened.

“I walked forward to take it knowing that it was there to be won and it was all down to me. What happened next will haunt me for the rest of my life.”

Chelsea went into a penalty shoot-out against Manchester United after the match ended 1-1 following extra time in Moscow.

Skipper Terry stepped up to take Chelsea’s fifth penalty with the scores level at 4-4 but he slipped as he shot and the ball clipped the outside of the post.

606: DEBATE One kick away from being champions of europe, love you JT ChelseaBahoi

Manchester United went on to win the shoot-out 6-5 and lift the European Cup.

“I have only slept a few hours and wake up every time hoping it’s all been a bad dream,” added Terry.

“I have watched it again on TV. You can see I slipped and I still can’t believe it.”

Terry, who sobbed uncontrollably after Chelsea’s defeat, added: “I feel I have let everybody down and this hurts me more than anything.

“I am not ashamed about crying. This is a trophy I have tried so hard to win year after year and it was just an uncontrollable reaction. I wear my heart on my sleeve and everyone knows that.”

Chelsea sacked manager Avram Grant three days after the defeat by Manchester United, which followed runners-up finishes in the Premier League and Carling Cup.

Premier League – Chelsea hot-seat: The runners and riders

Eurosport – Sun, 25 May 18:34:00 2008

With Avram Grant’s reign at Stamford Bridge officially over, we take a look at who is in the running to replace the Israeli in the Blues’ dugout.

More Stories

• Grant: Initial reactions
• Chelsea sack Grant

Roberto Mancini (pictured) – Having just won a third straight scudetto with Internazionale, the Italian certainly has the credentials to take over at Chelsea. The former Leicester City man faces an uncertain future at the San Siro, despite his title triumph, and seems set for pastures new. And with Jose Mourinho strongly tipped to replace him in Milan, Mancini appears to be a good bet to take over from Grant.

Frank Rijkaard – The Dutchman recently departed Barcelona after failing to land a trophy this season and is currently a free agent. He has been linked with Chelsea ever since Mourinho left last year and is believed to have good ties with compatriot Frank Arnesen, who controls Chelsea’s scouting network. He has also worked with Blues assistant coach Henk ten Cate at the Nou Camp.

Guus Hiddink – Another who has been strongly linked with the Chelsea hot-seat ever since Mourinho’s departure. Like Grant, Hiddink has connections with Roman Abramovich and it is the Blues’ billionaire owner who currently pays him to manage Russia’s national team. The Dutchman has a fantastic pedigree as a tactician, but has consistently denied he is interested by the job. However, he is yet to pen an extension to his deal with the Russian Federation.

Sven-Goran Eriksson – The Manchester City manager’s future at Eastlands is still up in the air but a summer exit is likely with Chelsea now a bonafide possible destination. The Swede, who boasts an enviable managerial record at club level, has rejected a move to west London in the past, but could be tempted this time around. If he does, Grant could well replace him at Eastlands.

Mark Hughes – Reports suggest the Blackburn manager has become a leading target, but it will take quite some persuading to convince the former Chelsea player to leave Lancashire. A rumoured £3.5 million-a-year salary about to be offered by Abramovich may, however, do the trick.

Michael Laudrup – The Dane is a free agent, having quit Getafe after guiding them to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup in their debut campaign in Europe, a second successive final of the Copa del Rey and ensured they will remain in the top division for a fifth season in a row. Benfica was his most likely destination, but Grant’s departure has opened up another possibility.

Jose Mourinho – The Portuguese’s name has been thrown into the hat, but a return of the ‘Special One’ is unlikely. He may be a fans’ favourite, but his relationship with the Chelsea top brass may have been irreparably damaged during their acrimonious parting of ways back in September. Rumours suggest he has since made up with Abramovich, but Mourinho seems more likely to return to management in Italy or Spain.

bye bye GRANT THANK YOU

Chelsea Football Club can confirm that Avram Grant has had his contract as manager terminated today (Saturday, May 24). This follows meetings over the last two days.

Everybody at Chelsea FC would like to thank Avram for his contribution since taking over as manager last September.

We will now be concentrating all our efforts on identifying a new manager for Chelsea and there will be no further comment until that appointment is made.

robinho a blue boy ?

Chelsea are prepared to pay £28million to bring Real Madrid star Robinho to Stamford Bridge, according to the player and his agent.

The Brazilian forward has previously been linked with a move to Manchester United, possibly in a swap deal involving Cristiano Ronaldo, but his advisor has now revealed that he has engaged in talks with Chelsea.

Agent Wagner Ribeiro claims he met with Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon on Thursday, during which a fee for the player was discussed.

“I met Peter Kenyon, Chelsea managing director, in London on Thursday,” said Ribeiro to Brazilian TV station Globo.

“He told me that they (Chelsea) were considering making an offer of 35 million euros for Robinho.”

Real possibility

The 24-year-old backed his agent’s claim by confirming a firm interest from Chelsea.

“What could happen is that I could go to Chelsea, as I have an offer from them,” Robinho added.

Robinho continued to reveal Milan were also monitoring his situation, but talk of a switch to Manchester United was nothing more than conjecture.

“Milan are also interested in me. The Milan directors have asked to hold a meeting with

Peter Kenyon has declared Chelsea are set for a summer of transfer activity – but who do you think The Blues should sign?

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is expected to make available a £100million transfer kitty with the likes of Milan playmaker Kaka and Real Madrid ace Robinho thought to be prime targets. Do you think they would be good additions to the squad?

There are also rumours regarding players set to leave Stamford Bridge. Do you think the likes of Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Andriy Shevchenko will be there next season?

Who do you think will be heading out of the exit door? Will squad players such as Steve Sidwell, Claudio Pizarro and Tal Ben Haim prove surplus to requirements.

Man Utd v Chelsea
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL
Venue: Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow Date: Weds, 21 May Kick-off: 1945 BST Coverage: LIVE on ITV1 and Sky Sports 1, BBC Radio Five Live, BBC Radio London 94.9, BBC Radio Manchester; BBC Sport website.

Portugese winger Nani, suspended for the Premier League finale against Wigan, returns to the Manchester United squad for the Champions League final.

Sir Alex Ferguson must discard six of the 24-man squad travelling to Moscow as he decides on his seven substitutes.

Central defenders Ricardo Carvalho and John Terry and striker Didier Drogba are all expected to be fit for Chelsea.

The main dilemma for boss Avram Grant is whether to pick Florent Malouda or Salomon Kalou on the left flank.

Ashley Cole is expected to get the nod over Wayne Bridge at left-back, with Michael Essien likely to remain at right-back rather than a recall for Paolo Ferreira or Juliano Belleti.

Claude Makelele is set to take the holding role in midfield ahead of John Mikel Obi, with Joe Cole on the right flank.

“I know 80% of my team,” said Grant. “But I like to keep watching them in training to see how they are doing.”

For United, Paul Scholes, who missed the 1999 Champions League final through suspension, is expected to start in the Luzhniki Stadium.

Ryan Giggs, who did play in 1999, will overtake Sir Bobby Charlton’s club record of 758 appearances if he features in Moscow, although he may start on the bench.

Ferguson said Ji-Sung Park, who has started most of their biggest games of late, had a “great chance” of being in the final line-up.

Man Utd squad: Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Heaton; Brown, Evra, Ferdinand, Vidic, Neville, O’Shea, Pique, Silvestre, Anderson, Fletcher, Hargreaves, Carrick, Scholes, Giggs, Nani, Park, Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez, Saha, Welbeck.

Chelsea: tbc

BIG MATCH STATS

Newly crowned Premier League champions Manchester United are targeting a first Champions League/domestic league double since 1998-99.

Chelsea go to Moscow, hoping to be crowned champions of Europe for the first time in their history.

606: DEBATE
Which team will come out on top in Moscow?

This is the first Champions League final to be contested between two clubs from England, and the third time clubs from the same country have featured in such a match. In 2000, the final was an all-Spanish affair (Real Madrid beat Valencia 3-0), while clubs from Italy engaged in the 2003 final (AC Milan beat Juventus on penalties).

The 1971-72 Uefa Cup was the only previous major European competition to involve two English clubs in its final; Tottenham beat Wolves 3-2 on aggregate.

Manchester United are vying for a 34th major honour; Chelsea an 11th.

Victory would make Manchester United the sixth most successful club in European Champions Cup/Champions League history; Chelsea could become the 10th club to have just one Champions Cup/Champions League win to their name.

This final will produce England’s 11th Champions Cup/Champions League winners, equalling the record amount of victories held by Spain and Italy. England’s previous 10 were Manchester United (1968), Liverpool (1977 and 1978), Nottingham Forest (1979 and 1980), Liverpool (1981), Aston Villa (1982), Liverpool (1984), Manchester United (1999) and Liverpool (2005).

Included this year’s, England have provided 16 Champions Cup/Champions League finalists. Italy have provided the most (25).

England will also win their 29th European trophy (11 CL/CC, eight Cup Winners’ Cups and 10 Fairs Cups/Uefa Cups). It will equal Spain’s record total.

Head-to-heads

This is the 151st meeting between these clubs; Manchester United have won 65, Chelsea 41 with 44 drawn.

Discounting this season’s Community Shield, which United won on penalties after a 1-1 draw, the Red Devils have registered just one win in six league and cup meetings with Chelsea; the victory being 2-0 at Old Trafford on 23 September 2007 when Carlos Tevez scored in first half stoppage time, and Louis Saha scored from the spot in second half stoppage time.

Chelsea have taken more Premier League points off United than any other club (43).

This is the first time these clubs have crossed swords in Europe.

Manchester United have never faced a fellow English club in the Champions League, but did meet and beat Tottenham in the last 16 of the 1963-64 Cup Winners’ Cup, and Everton at the same stage of the Fairs Cup in 1964-65.

Chelsea qualified for the final of the 1970-71 Cup Winners’ Cup by knocking out Manchester City in the semis. English opposition is nothing strange to them in the Champions League. They beat Arsenal 3-2 on aggregate in the quarter-finals in 2004, lost to Liverpool in the semi-finals twelve months later, completed two goalless draws with the Merseysiders in the group phase in the following year, lost again to Liverpool in the semis last year, and beat them at the same stage this season.

European history

Manchester United have won three European trophies – the 1967-68 Champions Cup (beat Benfica 4-1), 1990-91 Cup Winners’ Cup (Barcelona 2-1) and 1998-99 Champions League (Bayern Munich 2-1). They also won the 1992 European Super Cup and the 2000 Intercontinental Club Cup.

Chelsea’s biggest successes in European competition are their two Cup Winners’ Cup victories. They won the trophy in 1971 (beating Real Madrid after a replay) and 1998 (Stuttgart 1-0). They also won the European Super Cup in 1998.

This is Chelsea’s first appearance in a Champions Cup/Champions League final.

One undefeated record will go. Both Manchester United (three) and Chelsea (two) have won all the major European finals they have competed in.

Current European form

Manchester United have not lost in the Champions League this season; winning nine and drawing three of their 12 outings. If they maintain that run, this will be become only the eighth of 400 CL campaigns to be completed without defeat, and United would be the first club to do it twice following their undefeated sequence in 1998-99.

United’s 3-0 defeat at AC Milan in last May’s semi-final second leg was their most recent loss in Europe.

Chelsea are undefeated in three CL matches, since the 2-1 loss to Fenerbahce in the first leg of the quarter-final in Turkey on 2 April – their only defeat in this CL campaign.

Player and disciplinary info

Eight players in the Chelsea squad have previously played in a Champions League final. Six of them won the trophy and two of them lost the final. Nicolas Anelka (2000) and Claude Makelele (2002) won the CL with Real Madrid and Paulo Ferreira and Ricardo Carvalho won it with FC Porto in 2004. Andriy Shevchenko played the CL final with AC Milan in 2003 and 2005. In 2003, he converted the deciding penalty and in 2005 he missed the deciding penalty. Belletti helped Barcelona to victory in the 2006 CL final by scoring the winning goal against Arsenal (2-1). Ashley Cole was on the receiving end of that goal. He and Michael Ballack (Bayer Leverkusen in 2002) both lost on their only previous appearance in a CL final.

Manchester United can field five players with CL final experience. However, six players have won the competition. Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville were part of the team that beat Bayern Munich in 1999. Paul Scholes was suspended for the final and Wes Brown was on the bench, but both received winners medals. Edwin van der Sar reached the final with Ajax in 1995 and 1996, winning the first one. Owen Hargreaves won the 2001 competition with Bayern Munich and Patrice Evra lost the 2004 final with AS Monaco.

If he takes to the field, Ryan Giggs will beat Sir Bobby Charlton’s club record of 758 Manchester United appearances. The 34 year old Wales international equalled the record when he came on as a substitute and scored at Wigan on 11 May to confirm the Premier League title for the Old Trafford club. As far as CL appearances are concerned, Giggs holds the club record for United, with 103.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the top scorer in this season’s CL, with seven goals. He has scored 41 goals in all competitions for United this season. Only Denis Law (46 in 1963-64) and Ruud van Nistelrooy (44 in 2002-03) have scored more in a season in United’s history.

Chelsea’s Didier Drogba is the joint second highest scorer in this season’s CL, with six.

If involved, Chelsea captain John Terry will be making 50th CL appearance. He made his CL debut when Chelsea lost at home to Besiktas (0-2) on 1 October 2003.

Joe Cole and Makelele have played in all 12 of Chelsea’s CL matches this season.

The Managers

Sir Alex Ferguson is in his 22nd year in charge of Manchester United. Under him, the Red Devils have won 10 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, two League Cups, the Champions League, the European Cup Winners’ Cup, the European Super Cup, the Inter-Continental Cup and the FA Charity/Community Shield six times, and been joint holders once.

The Premier League titles, FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League and Cup Winners’ Cup successes are considered as major honours. Coupled with his achievements in Scotland, Sir Alex has won 28 major trophies. That is already a post-war British record – only Bill Struth, who won 30 major trophies with Rangers from 1920-54, can better that mark.

Sir Alex, 66, is the second oldest head coach/manager to send out a team in a Champions League final. Belgian Raymond Goethals won the 1992-93 competition with Olympique Marseille at the age of 71.

Victory would see Ferguson becoming the oldest British coach to win a CC/CL final, breaking the record set by 64 year old Joe Fagan with Liverpool in 1985.

Avram Grant’s first game in charge of Chelsea was a 2-0 league defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford on 23 September. Chelsea have won 36, drawn 12 and lost three of the 52 subsequent matches overseen by the Israeli.

Grant has won four league titles as a head coach, two with Maccabi Tel Aviv and two with Maccabi Haifa. He also guided Maccabi Tel Aviv to the Israeli Cup and to two domestic league cups. In addition, Hapoel Petah Tikva lifted two league cups under Grant.

Other miscellaneous facts

Manchester United won the Premier League with 87 points, two more than runners-up Chelsea. The Red Devils scored 80 goals, 15 more than the Blues, and conceded a club record top-flight low of 22, four fewer than the Londoners.

The Champions League final is Chelsea’s 62nd match of the season, 39 of the 61 were won, 15 drawn and seven lost. Manchester United have played five fewer games. Of the 56 games, 40 were won, nine drawn and seven lost.

Including the replay of the 1973-74 final, 40 of the 53 Champions Cup/Champions League finals were decided in 90 minutes and four after 30 minutes of extra time. But extra time failed to establish a winner in nine, and eight penalty shoot-outs determined the champions. The most popular score in a Champions Cup/Champions League final is 1-0 (15 times).

The Venue

This is the second time the Luzhniki Stadium will have hosted a major European final. The Moscow venue was chosen for the Uefa Cup final in 1999 when Parma beat Olympique Marseille 3-0.

Definitions of terms used:-

Champions League (CL) – only group phase matches and beyond of this competition which began in 1992-93.
Champions Cup/Champions League – all matches played since it began in 1955-56 including qualification matches.
European matches – all matches played in the major European tournaments (Fairs Cup, Uefa Cup, Cup Winners’ Cup, Champions Cup, Champions League).
Uefa Super Cups, Intertoto Cups and the old Intercontinental Cup competition are excluded.

Messi better than Ronaldo – Cole

Messi and Ronaldo went head-to-head in the Champions League

Chelsea’s Joe Cole says Barcelona’s Lionel Messi is ahead of Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player in the world.

Cole said Messi’s form in Barca’s Champions League semi-final defeat by United settled the debate.

“Ronaldo’s been fantastic but in the semi-final Messi showed he’s the top man,” said Cole, who will face Ronaldo in next week’s Champions League final.

“He is only 20 as well, imagine how good he will be in the next 10 years.”

Messi has been linked with a £80m move to Chelsea, and Cole admitted he would be delighted if the speculation proved to be true.

“If we could sign him, I’d love to play alongside him,” he added.

Cole’s comments will help to crank up the atmosphere ahead of Wednesday’s final between United and Chelsea in Moscow.

606: DEBATE Ronaldo or Messi?

Ronaldo is the most highly rated player in the English game and has been bestowed with awards for his scintillating form this season.

The 23-year-old’s 31 league goals were instrumental in United’s Premier League title success, and he was named both the Football Writers’ Association footballer of the year and PFA player of the year for two years in a row.

But the Portugal winger has been accused of sometimes failing to sparkle on the big stage and many believed he was outshone by Messi over both legs of the Champions League semis.

Chelsea finished two points behind Sir Alex Ferguson’s men in the league but Cole’s team-mate Florent Malouda believes losing out to United for the title will have little bearing on Wednesday night’s result.

“We have the players to overcome the Premier League disappointment. We have the potential to win, we are optimistic for the final,” said the Frenchman.