Mourinho braces himself for Duff departure
Mourinho braces himself for Duff departure
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Thursday, 20, Jul 2006 11:45
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has admitted that Damien Duff's time at the club could be up as Tottenham close in on the signature of the Republic of Ireland winger.
"He's a player I'm happy to keep, not desperate to keep," the Portuguese boss admitted.
Duff appeared 28 times for the Blues in the league last term, but ten of those appearances came from the bench.
First-team opportunities may be even sparser for the wide man next season with German midfielder Michael Ballack joining an already crowded and highly talented squad.
The impressive World Cup form of positional rival Arjen Robben and a change in Chelsea's formation to accommodate £30 million striker Andriy Shevchenko could limit Duff's chances still further.
Mourinho was however sympathetic towards the former Blackburn player's feeling of restlessness.
"I've listened to him for a couple of hours and understand what is going through his mind."
The 27-year-old was one of the first players to join the Abramovich revolution, completing a £17 million switch to Stamford Bridge in July 2003 after the Russian took control of the west London club.
With just one year left on his contract Spurs are hopeful they will be able to add Duff to the young squad for a fee of around £11 million.