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Chelsea signs Deco

Deco_ap

The Scolari era at Chelsea has officially begun.

New Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has landed Portuguese midfielder Deco from Barcelona for an undisclosed fee. Deco joined is new team on Monday.

Deco’s arrival makes an already crowded Chelsea central midfield even more congested. With Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Michael Essien, John Obi Mikel and Claude Makelele on the books, it looks like Lampard’s departure might be a step closer to happening.

What do you think of the signing? Surprised he didn’t join Jose Mourinho at Inter? Think he’ll do well in the EPL? Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Well when Deco first left FC Porto back in 2004…Many people thought he was going to Chelsea but he instead signed for Barcelona…

    And 4 years later…Deco signs for Chelsea…He still has some good Futebol left in him…Good luck Deco

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  2. D. Berger:

    Even though I root for a big-4 club, I agree with you in principle. I was a Chelsea fan before they were a big 4 so I’ve seen the change there.

    A lot of good players get tied up on benches at about 9 clubs around Europe. The financial pressure to perform is so great now since the transfer fees and salaries are so high, top clubs MUST protect themselves against injury and even loss of form. The cost to us is that teams like Middlesborough or Siena have a smaller pool of players to buy even though they could afford one or two juicy signings…no one is available.

    But that IS the nature of the game right now and ManU and Liverpool and Real Madrid have been doing it for a LONG time.

    Regards,

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  3. This pisses me off. The big 4 in England have all of these extra players who should be starting elsewhere.

    Ridiculous.

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  4. I believe that Lamps will go…however…if he does stay…what to do with everybody?

    Do they platoon Lampard and Deco and Ballack? Since Ballack is getting rather injury prone and none of them are getting younger…might not be a bad idea.

    But since Bosinghwa is coming in to replace Belletti and probably start in front of Ferreira, then Essien, Makalele, and Obi Mikel split the duty at ‘holding/defensive mid’ with Essien a critical part. Maybe they actually ship Mikel elsewhere but I think not.

    That leaves two of Cole and Malouda and Kalou in support of a lone striker, currently Drogba but possibly someone else.

    Sheesh.

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  5. i’m glad barca let him go. he has not been that effective lately. also i think A.S. is correct about keeping lampard better. then again i hate chelsea so i can care less about them. good move for barca though.

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  6. As a Chelsea fan, I’m not happy. Deco is washed up and Lampard is still performing at a high level. It would be a terrible move to replce Lampard with Deco. And once Drogba is gone, there won’t be any strikers of note on the team. Will they be playing a 4-6-0?

    Why don’t they look into get a left winger to replace the execrable Malouda?

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  7. One thing I expect to see from Chelsea next season is a formation more suited to its best players.

    My guess is Ballack will be pushed up just behind the lone striker (whomever that will be) with Deco further back in the playmaker role.

    Hard to say with Makalele. It seems like he’s washed up some days. I’m not even sure the modern game has a place for a holding midfielder who can’t shoot from the top of the box.

    Chelsea would be smart to drop both Wright-Phillips and Malouda from the side and find some consistent wingers. Robihno would be a perfect fit for them.

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  8. I like the move. I will enjoy watching him try to find his feet in the PL. I think he will be successful and I will get to watch him player every other week because FSC loves Chelsea and I don’y get GOL TV on my package.

    Lamps will do well to go to Italy. It is important that top english players demonstrate they can make an impact outside of England at the club level. Italian football will be a better fit for his stlye then La Liga and also the national side needs some flavor from outside England in regards to influence.

    It will be intersting to see how Deco handles the EP style of play. Hope it works out for him for the benifit of all.

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  9. As a Chelsea fan, I’m a bit bummed that it is likely that Lampard will be replaced by Deco. I like Deco enough but Lamps is a fixture. But with a coaching change, it’s common to have a lot of player movement. Change is inevitable.

    I don’t see Roman splashing a ton of money into the transfer market. He didn’t do it last year either. The moves will be one-for-one type replaces. Deco for Lampard, maybe a striker for Drogba. Roman may lose money on those type deals but it won’t be “go out and buy 4 studs.”

    Or…maybe not. 🙂

    Regards,

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  10. As a Barca fan Im glad he is gone and that the club is gonna get 10 million euros for a 31 year old player. He was terrific his first two years at the club, but the last two years he has been a cancer on the club. He has been injury prone the last two years and when he has played has been innefective.

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  11. Carl,

    “The thing is that I think what Chelsea sort of lacks is that one dynamic, world-class playmaker in midfield and I’m not sure Deco is quite that guy.”

    In an Arsenal/Barca system I think he is that type of guy. However, in a more direct (EPL/Chelsea?) style, I agree with you that he may not be the answer.

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  12. I’m with you, Bootsy and Alex, at his best he was class in a glass at Barcelona, with beautifully weighted, timed passes. It will be interesting to see how he does in the EPL. I could see it going either way. I think his game is so dependant on knowing the timing of runs of his teammates and their creating of space that he may have difficulty adjusting at first, and if Chelsea doesn’t start playing the more Barcelona/Arsenal/Spain type game he may not fit.

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  13. The crazy thing is, in my opinion Essien and Makelele are must-haves in any first XI for Chelsea. Just my opinion of course, but that makes the midfield seem even more crowded.

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  14. Will miss him at Barca, what a classy player to watch. But smart, smart sale by Barca as well. They sold when his value had peacked b/c he’s on the downside career wise, and now they can keep looking to reinvest that money in continuing to get younger. Also, am guessing pace wise Deco may struggle to adjust to the Premiership. Not sure what Scolari is thinking other than he’s familiar with the system…

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  15. I heard PSG is interested in Makelele. Of course, that affects Obi-Wan and Essien more than Deco. Doesn’t it seem like Roman though to collect an embarrassment of riches?

    The thing is that I think what Chelsea sort of lacks is that one dynamic, world-class playmaker in midfield and I’m not sure Deco is quite that guy.

    Reply

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