Chelsea have signed Inter Milan misfit Ricardo Quaresma on loan in a sensational 11th-hour twist.
Tottenham had been favourites to secure his signature in a swap deal involving Jermaine Jenas, but their London rivals moved swiftly to lure the Portuguese winger to Stamford Bridge.
Quaresma, nicknamed Mustang for his speed and power, has played under Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari at international level and will help to fill the void left by Joe Cole, who is out for the rest of the season with knee ligament damage.
The 25-year-old moved to Inter in the summer in a €18.6 million switch from Porto, but has so far failed to live up to expectations with coach José Mourinho publicly criticising him following poor performances.
"It’s hard for me to even talk about Quaresma’s performances," Mourinho said after Inter's match with Torino on Sunday.
"I thought we needed more width in our team but it seems he lacks the strength to endure the criticism which he suffers from the San Siro fans.
"You have to react in a positive way if you are booed because the San Siro is a tough, demanding audience.
"He’s not the only one who was booed and it’s not enough to hark back to the fact that at Porto, Quaresma was practically a prince!
"There he wasn’t afraid to make mistakes, here he’s afraid of the criticism from fans if something doesn’t come off.
"In training he’s the same old Ricky Quaresma that we know but on the pitch he’s not taking risks. I need for him to get faith back in himself."
Inter president Massimo Moratti added: "He definitely has something good, but for the moment he hasn't had the luck needed to show it.
"He is still young and still ours. An adventure abroad could do Quaresma some good."
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Tottenham had been favourites to secure his signature in a swap deal involving Jermaine Jenas, but their London rivals moved swiftly to lure the Portuguese winger to Stamford Bridge.
Quaresma, nicknamed Mustang for his speed and power, has played under Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari at international level and will help to fill the void left by Joe Cole, who is out for the rest of the season with knee ligament damage.
The 25-year-old moved to Inter in the summer in a €18.6 million switch from Porto, but has so far failed to live up to expectations with coach José Mourinho publicly criticising him following poor performances.
"It’s hard for me to even talk about Quaresma’s performances," Mourinho said after Inter's match with Torino on Sunday.
"I thought we needed more width in our team but it seems he lacks the strength to endure the criticism which he suffers from the San Siro fans.
"You have to react in a positive way if you are booed because the San Siro is a tough, demanding audience.
"He’s not the only one who was booed and it’s not enough to hark back to the fact that at Porto, Quaresma was practically a prince!
"There he wasn’t afraid to make mistakes, here he’s afraid of the criticism from fans if something doesn’t come off.
"In training he’s the same old Ricky Quaresma that we know but on the pitch he’s not taking risks. I need for him to get faith back in himself."
Inter president Massimo Moratti added: "He definitely has something good, but for the moment he hasn't had the luck needed to show it.
"He is still young and still ours. An adventure abroad could do Quaresma some good."
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