Inter Milan's Hernan Crespo Tuesday became the latest player to join the Chelsea revolution in a four-year £16.8 million (US$26.20 million) transfer.
Crespo is the ninth established player to join the west London club since Russian oil tycoon Roman Abramovich took over the club on July 1. Abramovich's shopping spree has cost around £95 million (US148.2 million).
Crespo had spent nearly an hour warming up on the Stamford Road Stadium pitch Tuesday wearing Chelsea's training shirt before the club's Champions League qualifier against MSK Zilina.
He was introduced as a signing to the crowd during half time.
The 28-year-old Argentine could make his debut for Chelsea against Blackburn on Saturday.
Monday, Chelsea bought defensive midfielder Alexei Smertin from Bordeaux for £3.45 million (US$5.4 million).
They join fellow new signings Juan Sebastian Veron (Manchester United), Adrian Mutu (Parma), Damien Duff (Blackburn), Glen Johnson (West Ham), Geremi (Real Madrid), Wayne Bridge (Southampton) and Joe Cole (West Ham).
Chelsea is also reported to still be interested in Real Madrid midfielder Claude Makalele.
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
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