Carvalho keen to be reunited with mentor Mourinho

Caption competition
Caption competition
News in pictures
News in pictures
On Facebook
Sport blogs

Top 14: The climax of the season

On this side of the Channel the nation’s best players are packing off either for their summer holida...

iBet: Germany could have their shooting boots on at Euro 2012

With a bit of a lull in sporting activity before the European Championships kicks off on June 8th, I...

Southgate’s amnesia, Reid’s fuzz and a feeling in Chiles’ waters

Early doors, the ITV boys were inevitably harking back to 1981, when Norway beat Ron Greenwood's Eng...

Chelsea's Ricardo Carvalho has indicated he would relish a reunion with Jose Mourinho at Internazionale, claiming he has not been given the support through injury that he deserved at Stamford Bridge.

Inter president Massimo Moratti made a declaration of intent to sign both Carvalho and his Portuguese team-mate Deco yesterday and, with the 31-year-old Carvalho particularly determined to leave, there is an acceptance at Stamford Bridge that they will both be gone this summer.

"I hope Chelsea and Inter can reach an agreement for me," Carvalho told Portuguese paper O Jogo. "I was injured for much of last season, and was not happy. They should have helped me more, especially given my past four years at Chelsea. That did not happen. Their attitude disappointed me a little."

It would be a sorry end for a player who was an integral part of Mourinho's Premier League title winning sides of 2005 and 2006 but who was marginalised in the brief Guus Hiddink era. The central defender managed a total of just 13 appearances for the FA Cup winners last season because of recurring injury problems, and it seems his appearance in the 4-4 draw in the Champions League at Anfield in April will be his last for the club. "My time at Chelsea is reaching an end," Carvalho said. "Being able to work with Jose Mourinho once again is very important to me. He is the coach who knows me better than any other."

Mourinho coached both Carvalho and Deco at Porto, and Moratti indicated that the latter is also set to join Inter. "Mourinho has asked us for Deco and Carvalho and we are working towards making him happy," he said. "Our wish is to sign both players and I have seen that the players' intention is to join us."

Carvalho and Deco are among the oldest players in the Chelsea squad and new manager Carlo Ancelotti knows he has to introduce some younger faces. Since joining Chelsea from Barcelona last summer, 31-year-old Deco has also suffered injuries, and Moratti already has a precise role mapped out for him. "Deco will have two tasks: to do well immediately and to help [Brazilian teenager Philippe] Coutinho mature as a player. Coutinho will arrive next season [from Vasco da Gama] and plays in the same role as Deco."

Meanwhile, Chelsea's interest in Carlos Tevez appears to have cooled. Despite Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from Old Trafford having apparently done little to alter his determination to leave Manchester United, it is understood that Chelsea will not be bidding. That leaves Manchester City as the prime contenders. No decision will be made by the Argentine until the end of this week at the earliest.

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
Career Services

Day In a Page

'I may be deaf, but you can still talk to me'

'I may be deaf, but you can still talk to me'

Being a teenager is hard enough – for those with hearing loss, it can be even more complicated
A right royal trip down the river

A right royal trip down the river

A new exhibition celebrates the glory days of London's mighty Thames
The 10 Best lawn mowers

The 10 Best lawn mowers

From petrol-fuelled to self-propelled
Every second counts

Why does life appear to speed up as we get older?

Matilda Battersby finds out how the clock plays tricks with our minds
Couture on the Croisette: Fashion hits

Couture on the Croisette

The best outfits from the 2012 Cannes Film Festival
Child of the revolution: the Burmese family that democracy brought back together

Home of the free

The Burmese family that democracy brought back together
Cannes review: Canine accolade and Hitler's return are high spots amid the gloom

Cannes review

Frocks, canine accolade and Hitler's return
Robert Fisk: The going price of getting away with murder... would $33m be enough?

The going price of getting away with murder

Robert Fisk: The long view
Principled Skinner rises above the fray

Principled Skinner rises above the fray

Andy McSmith meets Dennis Skinner
Patrick Cockburn: I fear this terrible massacre will be the beginning of a long civil war in Syria

Patrick Cockburn

I fear this terrible massacre will be the beginning of a long civil war in Syria
Hardeep Singh Kohli: For me, it is all about 'Gregory's Girl', a record of first love

Hardeep Singh Kohli

For me, it is all about 'Gregory's Girl', a record of first love
Christian Louboutin: 'I don't think comfort equals happiness'

Christian Louboutin interview

'I don't think comfort equals happiness'
Happy birthday, Hotel Babylon!

Happy birthday, Hotel Babylon!

Hollywood's home to the A-list celebrates 100 years of discreet luxury
Rupert Cornwell: Low-rise capital could finally reach for the sky

Rupert Cornwell: Out of America

Low-rise capital could finally reach for the sky
The secret life of the red carpet

The secret life of the red carpet

As Cannes reaches its climax with the Palme d'Or and the celebrities gather in London for the Baftas tonight, Kate Youde and Jack Dean investigate the real star of the show