Carlo Ancelotti's first job is to get John Terry onside

04 July 2009 17:24
The club are eager to sign a high profile player to symbolise a shift in emphasis under Ancelotti but with little progress being made on bringing in the creative player the side needs, the Italian will find that in his first week in charge his focus will be on keeping hold of the players he already has. The first issue is that of John Terry. Manchester City offered £30 million for him last week, are apparently prepared to go to £50 million and can offer Terry astronomical wages – reportedly as high as £300,000 per week – that would make him the best-paid player in the world. The only way the move could happen would be if Terry agitated for it because selling the popular captain would be disastrous for fan relations. So Terry, never far from the politics at Stamford Bridge, will want reassuring he remains at the nucleus of the club's imminent plans. Intriguingly, Terry, who is on holiday in Tenerife, pulled out of a scheduled Testimonial appearance at his brother's former club Yeovil yesterday. He is not expected to be among the players greeting Ancelotti today – like the other players who had international duty at the end of last season, he has an extended break – but Ancelotti will need to be at his diplomatic best to get Terry onside as soon as possible. For the first time since Roman Abramovich took over, Chelsea are getting a taste of what it feels like to be on the wrong side of a club higher up than you in the financial food chain. Another, higher bid is expected to arrive from City this week. There are other important players to reassure. Ashley Cole's contract situation needs to be resolved, especially with Real Madrid monitoring the situation. Also, Cole might well be asking himself why the club is trying so hard to sign the Russian Yuri Zhirkov from CSKA Moscow, an attacking left back? Jose Bosingwa, meanwhile, feels he is being undervalued by the club. The Portugal international only arrived from Porto last summer and after a promising first season was disappointed to find himself offered as a part of a package to lure Franck Ribery from Bayern Munich. Chelsea's pursuit of Glen Johnson and suggestions that they were also keen on Inter's right-back Maicon have deepened Bosingwa's concerns that he is not part of Ancelotti's plans. Another disenchanted Portuguese international needing Ancelotti's attention is Ricardo Carvalho. Arguably Chelsea's most consistent defender over the last five seasons, Carvalho's projected move to Inter has hit serious difficulties, much to the player's frustration. If Carvalho could be talked around it would be a major boon for the club. The first new players arrived last week. Ross Turnbull was signed from Middlesbrough to provide goalkeeping cover while Daniel Sturridge brings pace, class and above all promise to the front line. The signing of players who have come through English academies is important as Chelsea seek to come in line with Uefa's rule that eight players in the club's 25-man Champions League squad must have come through at an English club. While both players have promise, these are essentially cosmetic signings. The real reconstructive surgery is yet to begin. The club's ability to bring in the elite players has been questioned of late but Abramovich is determined to show that Chelsea can still lure the best to the club. Chelsea missed out on Robinho last summer and first Kaka and now Ribery have chosen the Bernabeu over Stamford Bridge as their ideal destination. According to one source Chelsea were exploring the possibility of signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Inter but were dissuaded by the player asking for an incredible £13.7 million signing-on fee. An attempt to sign Brazil striker Alexandre Pato form Milan is ongoing but, having lost Kaka, Milan are highly unlikely to sell. Ancelotti needs new players to put his imprint on the squad. It would also give him authority over a powerful, strong-willed dressing room. When Jose Mourinho first arrived at Chelsea he found the squad riven by factions, divided by language. He ended up physically demolishing the walls in the training ground dressing room. Still, under Avram Grant and Luiz Felipe Scolari reports of player discontent repeatedly leaked out of the club. Scolari blamed his eventual firing on player conspiracy. There are certainly plenty of egos among the playing staff at Stamford Bridge, the best-paid group of players in the world, remember. That group could have a markedly different make-up by the time the season kicks-off next month.

Source: Telegraph