Chelsea Sign Deco From Barcelona

Luiz Felipe Scolari officially begins life as Chelsea's manager this morning having already secured his first signing after the Champions League runners-up completed the purchase of the Barcelona midfielder Deco on a two-year contract.

The 30-year-old playmaker, deemed surplus to requirements at Camp Nou, has followed his Portugal manager to west London in an £8m deal which could yet have ramifications on Frank Lampard's future at Stamford Bridge. The England midfielder is currently on holiday in Italy but, with a year to run on his current contract, has been courted by his former manager Jose Mourinho at Internazionale with Deco?s arrival appearing directly to threaten his place in the Chelsea team.

The Premier League club had pondered whether Deco, below par in a Barcelona side that labored well adrift of Real Madrid last season, represented true value for money in the market, though they were persuaded that his was a signature worth pursuing by his fine form during Euro 2008. The midfielder was a key member of Scolari's squad in Austria and Switzerland as Portugal reached the quarter-finals and has long since been viewed as the coach's on-pitch lieutenant at international level.

"I am sure I have come [to Chelsea] at the right time to do great things and be able to help Chelsea go back to the way it was and be first, not only in England but also to win the Champions League," said Deco. "That has been their dream for so long. The Premier League is a great league and it is getting better. You could see that at the Champions League final where you had two English teams."

"It is great that we have so many great players here at Chelsea and it is great that there is the competition which is healthy for everybody. This just makes the team better. To have great players in any position of the club just enhances the club. I know it is a new challenge but I am looking forward to it. I know I need a little bit of time to adapt bit, but I am sure I will adapt quite well and quite fast and do my best for the team."

The Brazilian born midfielder is a two-time European Cup winner and had come close to moving to Stamford Bridge back in the summer of 2004 only to sway towards Barcelona at the last. He won a second Champions League while in Spain, helping to beat Arsenal in 2006, but fell out of favor towards the end of Frank Rijkaard's reign. Indeed, his startling form for Portugal appeared to buck a downturn in fortunes with the playmaker scoring against the Czech Republic and playing a major role in their route to the last eight.

His vision and ability on the ball will be appreciated in the Premier League, with his creativity so key to Scolari's Portugal. The veteran joins his national team-mate Jose Bosingwa, a £16m arrival from Porto at the end of last season, at the club with his arrival representing a small victory over Mourinho. The Inter manager had hoped to be reunited with a player he first coached at Porto, where Deco first earned the nickname Magico, though further struggles appear to lie ahead.

Scolari had supplied a list of potential signings to the Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon, topped by Milan's Kaka, but would still like to meet the likes of Lampard and Ricardo Carvalho face to face to discuss their future prospects at the club with Inter having expressed interest in both players since they unveiled their Portuguese manager.

The first-team squad are due back at training on July 7 and Scolari will seek discussions with both players. Chelsea had been intent on retaining Lampard's services but are aware that, while there has been no formal contact between the clubs, Inter have made their interest known in the 30-year-old, who is currently on holiday in Sicily and will not return home later this week.

Carvalho's future in west London has also potentially been complicated by Mourinho's appointment at Inter. Chelsea had intended to open discussions with the player on a new contract with improved terms when he returned for pre-season training, so keen are they to retain his services, though the Portugal international was non-committal both prior to the Champions League final and at Euro 2008 when asked where he would be playing his football next season.