What the papers said about . . . Ruud Gullit

"Master Rasta!" Mirror

"With Jurgen Klinsmann barely back in his beloved Germany, English football secured a high-profile replacement when Ruud Gullit fell for the lure of the FA Carling Premiership. Not with Tottenham Hotspur, where Klinsmann loved them and left them after one year, but across London with Chelsea." Times

"Ruud-hot." Star

"Ruud-y great." Mirror

"It is a shrewd investment by Chelsea. Apart from having a player who, despite being 32 and with a recent history of knee injuries, is still one of the finest in Europe, Gullit has a charisma to equal Klinsmann for box office appeal. Chelsea can expect a rush on season tickets, while sponsors and television will look favourably on one of the great names of European football gracing the game." Telegraph

"For a club in the fashionable quarter of London and with a celebrity cast of supporters, Chelsea have in recent years lacked star quality. That began to change yesterday, however, when they beat their Premiership rivals to the first big transfer splash of the summer." Independent

"Double Dutch! Hoddle wants pounds 7m Bergkamp to team up with new star Gullit." Sun

"Chelsea in July will welcome a multi-lingual man of independent streak. He dedicated his 1987 World Footballer award to Nelson Mandela and has championed causes scarcely favoured by conservative club presidents. Fascinating times at Ken Bates's beloved Bridge." Guardian

"Ruud sweeps into Chelsea." Express

"Ruud Gullit spent two years as a dreadlock star in the making lying back and thinking of England. Every night he'd picture himself whooping it up on our pitches and later in the reggae bars of London. But he wasn't imagining pulling on the blue shirt of Chelsea. It was wearing the red of Arsenal that became the biggest ambition for the Rolls-Royce of Rastafarians." Mirror