Luiz Felipe Scolari expects to seal deal for
Robinho
Chelsea expect to sign Robinho in a matter of days after
the Brazil forward told Real Madrid that he wanted to move to
Stamford Bridge. Luiz Felipe Scolari is worried that his team will
be too predictable without some Brazilian flair this season and the
Chelsea manager has told his employers to do whatever it takes to
sign the 24-year-old from the Spanish champions.
Real are holding out for £31.7 million for a player who has
failed to live up to expectations at the Bernabéu, but Chelsea
believe that they can reach a compromise quickly after Real turned
down offers of £19.7 million and £25.4 million. “I dream of playing
in the English league,” Robinho said. “Chelsea have a great squad
and a great team. My objective is to play there. I've got nothing
against Madrid, but I want to resolve this as soon as possible.
It's not about money, I simply want to leave.”
Chelsea have offered to double the Brazilian's wages to about
£70,000 a week and are confident that they will have signed the two
players that Scolari wanted - Deco and Robinho - when he agreed to
replace Avram Grant last month. Peter Kenyon, the Chelsea chief
executive, met Scolari and Frank Arnesen, the director of scouting
and youth development, yesterday to update them on developments
after flying back from Madrid.
Robinho has become disillusioned in Spain after Real tried to
use him as a makeweight in their attempts to sign Cristiano Ronaldo
from Manchester United this summer and after he was refused
permission to play for Brazil in the Olympic Games in Beijing.
Scolari trained with his first-team squad yesterday morning to
prepare for tomorrow's match away to Wigan Athletic and the
Brazilian made a point of having a quiet word with Frank Lampard
after the England midfield player was booed by his own supporters
during England's 2-2 draw with the Czech Republic at Wembley on
Wednesday. Scolari advised Lampard to try some retail therapy. “I
asked Frank if he was upset and he said no,” Scolari said. “I told
him that now he had renewed his contract he should go out and spend
some money.”
Lampard was happy to stay at Stamford Bridge after the club
agreed to give him a five-year contract worth about £140,000 a
week, but there are still question marks about the futures of Shaun
Wright-Phillips and Andriy Shevchenko. Portsmouth are trying to
sign Wright-Phillips on loan and Scolari will not stand in the
winger's way if he decides to move to Fratton Park.
“I have 26 players in my squad so to lose one or two would not
be a problem,” Scolari said. “I don't know what Shaun thinks about
offers from other teams. I have three or four wide players so if we
sell one it will not be a problem for me.”
Shevchenko stopped off in Milan on Thursday on his way back from
Ukraine's 1-0 victory over Poland in Kiev but his hopes of
returning to the San Siro appear to have been dashed temporarily
after AC Milan insisted that they would sign him only on loan.
Steve Bruce, the Wigan Athletic manager, goes into the
match at home to Chelsea tomorrow having suffered humiliation at
the hands of one of the London club's players this summer. Bruce, a
keen golfer, could not resist a round with Andriy Shevchenko when
the pair bumped into one another while holidaying in Barbados.
“I got hammered,” Bruce said. “Shevchenko's partner was the pro
at Wentworth, while I was left with Stephen Hunt, from Reading. I
have to say, Shevchenko is one hell of a golfer. We were beaten by
the 9th hole, but I blame Stephen. He was hopeless.”
