LONDON - Carlo Ancelotti began his reign as Chelsea manager Monday and immediately stamped his authority by saying that his captain John Terry is not for sale.
The Italian, who has signed a three-year deal with the London club after eight years with AC Milan, said Terry was an integral part of a team he hoped would be immediately competing for silverware at home
and abroad.
Speaking in good English, the articulate Italian likened Terry to Paolo Maldini, his captain at Milan, and said keeping him - despite a huge offer from Manchester City - was top of his initial to-do list.
“John Terry is the symbol of this team, he will be captain,” Ancelotti said. “He wants to stay at Chelsea forever and we want to keep him forever. There is a question of Manchester City but for Terry there is no price.”
“I like to have a captain like Terry, he is very close to Paolo Maldini for professionalism, for quality and he will be the best captain for Chelsea.
“I spoke with Terry a month ago when I came to the club and he said welcome. And after he went on holiday. I will speak with him because he is the captain and I want a good relationship with the captain.”
Ancelotti announced that the club have signed Russia left back Yuri Zhirkov from CSKA Moscow for a fee reportedly in the region of 18 million pounds.
The 25-year-old, who can also play in midfield, has signed a four-year deal and Ancelotti said: “Zhirkov is naturally on the left. I think he can do all the work and can play in defence and in
between.”
Zhirkov joins Daniel Sturridge and Ross Turnbull as new arrivals at the club this summer and more are likely to follow before the transfer window closes at the end of August.
Ancelotti said he expected Chelsea to come out strongly and be big challengers to Manchester United and the other title contenders this season.
“Chelsea is a great team now, it is a team that did five semi-finals in six years in the Champions League, this means that Chelsea is a great team now. If you can improve this it will be
better for me and the club. Chelsea have a lot of chances to win.
“Chelsea has the right quality, a great club, great team, great players. They were very close last year and I think that we have to do a little step to win, it will not be easy but with great teamwork we can win,” he said.
“In England it is not easy, there are great teams, it is a very difficult championship but Chelsea can win the Premiership and the Champions League. In all the competitions we have to do the maximum to win.
“I am here for this, to win the Champions League, I would like this, I think it is a great competition and I trust because Chelsea arrived very close to win, I remember 2008 and I think really there is a possibility to do this.
“The Champions League is very difficult to win, it depends on many factors but Chelsea I think have more possibility than other teams now.”
Ancelotti is the third Italian to take charge of Chelsea, following in the footsteps of Gianluca Vialli and Claudio Ranieri, while the club has also had several world-class players, including
Gianfranco Zola and Roberto Di Matteo.
“I spoke with Luca Vialli 15 days ago and he spoke very well for the club,” Ancelotti said. “They (all the Italians) stayed very well in Chelsea and I hope to do the same.”
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