Ramires and Chelsea Coach Ancelotti look forward to new challenges
Chelsea have finally signed Brazilian international Ramires for a fee of around £16.3 million. The 23-year-old midfielder had been linked with the London club since the beginning of summer. But despite an agreement, there was a delay in his arrival to Stamford Bridge. Apparently both clubs were waiting on the medical test to go ahead with the official signing, which has finally been completed. Ramires was also waiting on a work permit, which has been granted, and Ramires is now one of the Blues on a four year contract.
Ramires revealed that he was happy to leave Benfica for Chelsea, where he knew he would enjoy the challenges the English Premier League presented. Ancelotti had been hoping the youngster would be available for the Community Shield match against Manchester United, but that was not to be. Because of the delay in the medical and availability of the work permit, Ramires could not participate in the match, which Chelsea lost 3-1. As disappointing as it was to lose the chance to win the first silverware of the season, the Blues more than made up for it in their opening fixture of the Premier League.
Chelsea started the new season where they left off the old one, destroying West Brom by 6 goals to nil. The lethal black storm, Didier Drogba, scored a hat trick; Frenchman Florent Malouda scored two goals and Lampard scored one. Even though Ramires was not available for that match either, he had kept a close watch on the match and by now, must know what is expected of him. The Brazilian knows how he has to perform to maintain a place in the squad and will be eager to prove himself when he makes his debut next week against Wigan.
The Brazilian midfielder told reporters, “Every player in the world would love to play for Chelsea and it's a great opportunity that was given to me. I will give my best to repay this chance, and I am very happy.” He should be happy. Chelsea have proved themselves domestically, winning the Premier League and the FA Cup, and their next target is the Champions League. If successful, this will be the club’s first Champions League trophy – a big honor for its ageing players and manager. This was one feat that the Special One could not achieve with the Blues and Ancelotti will be eager to beat him to it.
Ancelotti was understandably excited at the thought of having Ramires in the squad. There was some unrest in the Chelsea camp following the exit of big names like Michael Ballack, Ricardo Carvalho, Deco, Belletti and Joe Cole, and Ancelotti was accused of not brining in enough reinforcements, having previously only signed the 30-year-old Yossi Benayoun. With Ramires being an option, Ancelotti can switch his players around to get the best out of them, and in case of injury, will have first class substitutes.
Ancelotti told reporters, “He is a fantastic player, a fantastic midfielder, he is very young and will be the future of the Brazilian national team, and I hope he will be the future of Chelsea.” The Italian manager is now chasing for younger players, hoping to sign the likes of Neymar and Ozil before the transfer window closes on August 31st. Even though Ozil recently signed for Real Madrid, Brazilian striker Neymar is still a possibility. The current Chelsea squad is an ageing squad, and many pundits have written them off, Ancelotti would be wise to bring in younger players before it’s too late.
Ramires is a step in the right direction. The Brazilian midfielder, who arrived at Stamford Bridge on Friday, has been assigned with the number 7 jersey. He takes Andriy Shevchenko’s old number, but if the Blues are lucky he won’t be as big a flop as the Ukrainian striker.
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