Paolo's part in the conversion of Parker

First Joe Cole. Now another Chelsea recruit. How the maverick Italian is using his influence on the stars of the future

Paolo Di Canio has been called a lot of things in his time: petulant and difficult, outrageous and outspoken, flamboyant and mesmerising. But instructive and inspirational? It may sound outlandish, but Di Canio is directly responsible for the development of two of England's most promising midfielders. First there was Joe Cole, who has always maintained that the maverick Italian was his mentor when he was learning his trade at West Ham. And now there is Scott Parker, who echoed the views of his new Chelsea team-mate following his £10m move to Stamford Bridge on Friday.

Like Cole before him, Parker insists that he became "a different person" after meeting Di Canio. "Paolo brought something that maybe we had never had at Charlton," Parker explained. "He opened my eyes massively from the first day he walked into the building last summer and, even though we were only at The Valley together for a short time, he's had a huge, huge influence on me and my career."

Parker watched as the Italian stretched, trained, and ate differently. He asked questions, enquiring repeatedly about life at Europe's biggest clubs. "Every day I saw what a true professional he is and what it takes to play at the highest level," Parker said of the former Milan and Juventus star. "It was like a revelation and I have to say Paolo has been fantastic for me. Maybe he saw me as someone he wanted to help because I was ready to listen to him and learn. I can't really explain it, but I've got so much respect for him. He's been an inspiration."

Parker would not countenance such a possibility on Friday, but one suspects Di Canio played a part in the transfer. The Italian was the first to tell Cole that the time was right for him to fly away from the West Ham nest last summer, and the Parker saga this winter has more than a whiff of Latin influence, not least because this normally quiet player made such a strong stand. Parker denies the claim: "I didn't talk to anyone but my family about the situation," he insisted.

Had he chatted with Di Canio, whose own dream of a big move to Manchester United in January 2002 was blocked by the West Ham board and never rekindled, Parker would have realised he had no choice but to force the issue. "You have to take these chances when they come around," the 23-year-old said. "It wouldn't have been a problem had it not been one of the top three clubs [in the League], but when Chelsea came in I felt I had to go for it.

"This is the right move for me if I am going to win things and go to the European Championship with England in Portugal this summer. I didn't want to be sitting at home in a few years wondering what might have happened. I just felt it was the right time to go and that Chelsea was the best place for me to be."

Whether Parker is proved right remains to be seen. On the one hand, he has signed for a larger club with grander ambitions. On the other, he has joined a sizeable squad which already boasts nine other midfielders. "You can never be 100 per cent sure of your decisions," he admitted, "and I'm aware of the challenges that lie ahead at a big club like this. I know that there are no guarantees, but that's life. I'm coming to a bigger club and that means it's going to be more difficult for me, but that's exactly the challenge I want."

Is Parker not worried the move might hinder his burgeoning international development? "No, not at all," he said, "because I'm going to be learning every day from top-quality players. Training alone will be a hugely productive experience. I might not play as often as I did at Charlton, but maybe that's no bad thing. I need to be pushed to get better and I know that I'll have to dig deep to break into the team here. But that's OK. I'm the sort of person who thrives under pressure."

No bad thing, really, because questions remain as to where he will fit into the Chelsea team. On Friday, Claudio Ranieri was at pains to point out that Parker is "a young lion who could play anywhere in the midfield, whatever the formation I use", but the truth is that places in the starting XI are restricted.

Assuming that Claude Makelele, Frank Lampard and, to a slightly lesser extent, Damien Duff are certainties, that leaves only the right side of midfield free. "I'm happy to play in any position," was Parker's predictable response, but it would make little sense to spend £10m on a central-defensive midfielder only then to stick him out wide.

One suspects that Ranieri is planning to play Parker alongside Lampard when adopting an attacking diamond formation at home, while teaming him up with Makelele in front of the back four when deploying a 4-2-3-1 system away from home. Parker has made more tackles than any other midfielder in the Premiership this season, and his proven ability to turn defence into attack could prove invaluable, especially in crucial European matches.

"I think there is a good role for him to play in my team," said Ranieri, who confessed that he had been chasing Parker's signature for the last two years. "Scott will grow at Chelsea."

None of this makes Parker's transfer any more acceptable to Alan Curbishley. So far as the Charlton manager is concerned, the player has been disloyal to the club he joined as an eight-year-old and for whom he signed a new five-year contract just six months ago. "What Alan has said isn't really fair," said an emotional Parker, who spent 12 years at The Valley, "but I'm not going to say a bad word about him. It's been really tough, especially some of the criticism from the fans, but I know the truth. I had my say, but I never bullied Charlton."

Perhaps not, but like the Frenchman Louis Saha, who effectively forced Fulham to let him join Manchester United for £12.8m, Parker has eventually got his way. And, like Saha, he knows he has to prove his worth.

"Yeah, the pressure is on," admitted Parker, who looks likely to make his debut today away to Blackburn because most of Chelsea's midfielders are either injured or suspended. "But that's fine by me. Moving here was the dream; now the real work starts." Di Canio could not have put it any better.