World class players head Scolari’s Chelsea wish-list

New Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has reportedly been given over £100 million to spend when he arrives at Stamford Bridge and the Brazilian manager is set to launch a number of audacious bids to bring some of the world’s elite to Stamford Bridge, according to The Guardian newspaper.

 

The Guardian claims that once Scolari arrives at Stamford Bridge he will immediately hand a wish-list of top class players to the Chelsea board. AC Milan’s Kaka and Liverpool’s Fernando Torres are expected to top the list, along with Valencia’s David Villa. Scolari is also set to raid his current Portugal squad by moving for Barcelona’s Deco and Porto winger Ricardo Quaresma .

 

Scolari’s task at Stamford Bridge will be to ensure that Chelsea have a squad capable to claim back the Premiership as well as challenging for the UEFA Champions League trophy, something which Abromovich has not won during his time in London. Should Scolari not achieve these expectations, I’m sure many would not be surprised to see Scolari on his way out next summer in similar fashion to his predecessors.

 

Kaka has long been a target for Chelsea and the FIFA World Player of the Year is said to be understandably frustrated at Milan’s failure to qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season. A possible transfer would prove similar to the Andriy Shevchenko saga a few years ago, in which AC Milan in similar fashion refused to sell their star player until finally giving up and selling for the English transfer record.

 

However, it is unlikely Chelsea will be able to convince Liverpool to sell up for their star player Fernando Torres. Torres as been the star performer in a magnificent first season at Anfield and despite American owners’s Tom Hicks and George Gillett desire to raise money, even they can surely see that the sale of Torres would create chaos in Liverpool.

 

A more likely option may be the sale of Valencia striker David Villa who is surely set to leave the Estadio Mestalla this summer. The Spanish hat-trick hero has seen his value increase rapidly over the past few months and now is unlikely to leave for less than £30 million. Chelsea are unlikely to be deterred by the price tag though and Scolari would love to pair both Villa and Torres up front at Stamford Bridge.

 

Deco has long been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge as well and was recently reported to be un-decided between a move to Chelsea or a return under former boss Jose Mourinho to Inter Milan. The arrival of Scolari is only likely to improve the play-makers chance of arriving at Stamford Bridge and reports suggest that the arrival of Deco will push vice-captain Frank Lampard out as Scolari looks to build a team around the Portuguese star.

 

And finally Porto winger Ricardo Quaresma who has also long been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge could be set to join the Scolari revolution, with Quaresma being compared to Ronaldo in recent times it is likely Scolari will look to add quality to Chelsea’s wing by securing the signature of the star.

 

With the Portugal camp still rocking from the shock of Scolari’s announcement right in the middle of the Euro 2008 campaign, Ricardo Carvalho was one of few to comment on the appointment by saying: ““Scolari is a great manager and a big personality. He’s the kind of guy that players respond to and I think we can go forward with him.” The announcement from Carvalho is sure to calm any Chelsea fan’s worry that the centre-back could leave the club, with Carvalho being strongly linked with a move to Inter Milan under former boss Jose Mourinho.

 

[Source: The Guardian]