Sports / Soccer |
Malouda no replacement for Robben, says Mourinho(Reuters)Updated: 2007-07-13 09:20 BEVERLY HILLS, California, July 12 - Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho has denied rumours that French international Florent Malouda was recruited to replace Dutch winger Arjen Robben. Midfielder Malouda, signed from Lyon earlier this week, had been widely regarded in the media as a replacement for Robben, who has been linked with a move to Real Madrid. "I want to make it very, very clear that Florent is not here to replace anybody," Mourinho told a news conference at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Thursday after introducing his new signing. "The objective is to have a very good player with a very good mentality who will very easily adapt, in my opinion, to English football. He is also a player with ambition. "We have competition in almost every position and I think that is very, very important. I know that everybody is watching us with Florent and Robben in the same squad. "In my opinion, the best football we have played in the last three years was when Robben and (Damien) Duff were playing together in the same team, so why can't Robben and Florent play together?" The 27-year-old Malouda, a powerful left-footed attacking midfielder, has played 30 times for France. He was signed by the FA Cup holders on Tuesday from the French champions on a four-year deal reportedly worth 20 million euros ($27.26 million). ANOTHER CHALLENGE "For me, it's another challenge in my career," Malouda said after being presented to the media in his number 15 shirt. "I came to Chelsea to try to win all the other competitions I have not won already. I think the group and the players here are very competitive and it will be a big experience for me. "The English championship is very hard, it's strong and you have to be at 150 percent every time. I hope that it will be a success for me." Mourinho expects Malouda to settle quickly into the Chelsea squad alongside his former team mates Didier Drogba and Michael Essien. "We already know a lot about him, both as a player and as a personality," Mourinho said. Chelsea play their first pre-season match in the U.S. against Mexico's Club America in the Disney Friendship Cup in Stanford, California on Saturday. They then return to Los Angeles for the World Series of Football where they will take on the Suwon Bluewings on July 17 and the Los Angeles Galaxy on July 21.
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