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Blues boss discusses summer signings
Marin and Hazard draw RDM's praise
Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo took some time to reflect on his team’s summer signings ahead of today’s pre-season training opening day, asserting that the new arrivals will only strengthen the European champions.
The Blues lost experienced trio Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, and Jose Bosingwa this summer but added future stars such as Marko Marin and Eden Hazard, both of whom the manager has backed to shine in the Blues uniform.
“Hazard’s a wonderful player, for his young age he has achieved a lot, he has already been named Ligue 1 Player of the Year, but we shouldn’t forget he is still young, but he will bring a lot of creativity to the side,” Di Matteo told ChelseaFC.com.
Praising the versatility of the former Werder Bremen starlet Marin, the gaffer added: “Marin is another exciting player, he’s an offensive attacking midfielder/winger, who can play in various positions which is helpful to the team and myself, and he is another one we will be looking looking to integrate into the side.”
Di Matteo will also see his squad bolstered by the return of veteran Israeli midfielder Yossi Benayoun from a loan spell at Arsenal last season.
Furthermore, despite uncertainty regarding the future of Florent Malouda and the fitness of Frank Lampard, the manager expects both players to be involved in pre-season preparations.
The Italian explained: “They[Malouda and Benayoun] are part of the squad and contracted to the club, I expect everybody to be here at the start of the season and then we’ll see what happens.
“I’ve spoken to Frank, he’s feeling very good and is looking forward to returning for the new season.”
When asked to sum up the summer movements within his squad, Di Matteo concluded: “I’m pretty happy with the squad but we’ll monitor the market and see what opportunities there are to improve the team. It’s not just a question of how much you spend but attracting the right players.”
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