Gudjohnsen: I couldn't have stayed in England

Tuesday, 18, Jul 2006 04:15

Former Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen has told Blues fans that he could not have stayed in England with another club next season.

The 27-year-old Icelandic striker is leaving Stamford Bridge for Barcelona in an £8 million deal after six trophy-filled seasons in west London and was rumoured to have been upset with the way his departure was handled.

Reports in his home country suggested that he was looking forward to the chance to get his own back on the Blues by beating them in the Champions League, but he has today distanced himself from such reports.

"I don’t know if it was a big thing over here but when I was in Iceland, I saw a few stories that were printed there, saying that my dream was to knock Chelsea out of the Champions League or beat Chelsea in the Champions League final. It's nothing like that," he told Chelsea TV.

He added: "I just want to make it clear that I have nothing but respect for Chelsea and if I ever said anything to disrespect anyone then I sincerely regret it."

Gudjohnsen was linked with a number of English clubs when it became clear that the arrival of Andriy Shevchenko at Chelsea meant that he was moving on, with archrivals Manchester United one of those said to be monitoring his progress.

But he has taken the opportunity to dispel those links, saying it would have been "very difficult for me to move within England because of the strong connections I have".

Gudjohnsen, who moved to Chelsea from Bolton for £5 million in the summer of 2000, has made more than 250 appearances for the Blues and scored 78 goals.