Blues praise Barca-bound Gudjohnsen
Blues praise Barca-bound Gudjohnsen
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Thursday, 15, Jun 2006 04:32
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho today thanked Eidur Gudjohnsen for his six-year spell at Stamford Bridge following completion of his move to Barcelona.
The Icelandic international, who was the club's longest-serving player, joined the European and Spanish champions for around £8 million yesterday.
Mourinho said the club acknowledged the striker's first-team opportunities would be limited but that he leaves bearing no grudges.
"Eidur is going to a big club from a big club," he told the Chelsea website. "We understood his desire to play more games and this was not always going to be possible at Chelsea.
"It was important to be fair to him and to be fair to Chelsea so this is a good solution for him and for the club.
"He had a great history at Chelsea and also was an important player in helping us make history with two Premiership titles."
Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon also praised the striker, saying: "Eidur has made a fantastic contribution to Chelsea and especially to the successes of the past two seasons.
"Everybody at Chelsea would like to thank him for his commitment to the club in his time here and wish him the best of luck at Barcelona."
Gudjohnsen, 27, came to the club from Bolton Wanderers as a striker in 2000 and enjoyed a prolific partnership up front with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.
But he endured a frustrating season last term after being moved to midfield and failed to hold down a regular place in the side.
Chelsea's summer purchases of Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko have also pushed him further down the pecking order.
In total, he scored 78 goals in 263 appearances for the Blues after moving in 2000 – with only striker Gianfranco Zola making more appearances by an overseas player for the Premiership champions.