Chelsea's £30m flop Shevchenko heads home to Dynamo Kiev

31 August 2009 09:16
Andriy Shevchenko has returned to Dynamo Kiev on a two-year contract after an unsuccessful three-year spell with Chelsea. The move sees the former European player of the year return to the club where he started his career - and where he left 10 years ago to join AC Milan. The 32-year-old failed to make an impact in the Premier League, despite costing a club-record £30 million. Chelsea had won the Premier League title for two years in succession when they signed Shevchenko, but he scored just four goals in 30 Premier League games as Manchester United regained the title in 2007 and Chelsea lost to Liverpool in the Champions League semi-finals. The Ukraine striker, who has been capped 79 times for his country, spent last season on loan at Milan. His manager there, Carlo Ancelotti, who is now in charge at Chelsea, said: 'Sheva didn't have the possibility to play consistently. He would like to play with continuity here for me but it is difficult for me to give him the possibility to play a lot of matches and he will take the right decision for him.' Shevchenko was an immensely popular figure at Milan, scoring 127 goals in 208 appearances before moving to London. Andriy Shevchenko Failure to thrill: Andriy Shevchenko never really shined in three years at Chelsea Chelsea's Russian owner Roman Abramovich was instrumental in bringing Shevchenko to the club, and although he managed 14 goals in all competitions in his first season, his tally fell to eight the following year. This season, Ancelotti has opted for the forward partnership of Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka and has Daniel Sturridge and Salomon Kalou available to provide further striking options. And although he made a recent appearance as a substitute against Sunderland in a 3-1 win at the Stadium of Light, Shevchenko was unlikely to be given a major role in the long-term.

Source: Daily_Mail