Chelsea poised to finalise Essien deal
Chelsea are hoping to tie-up the formalities of Michael Essien's £24million switch from Lyon as Jose Mourinho prepares for a showdown with disgruntled defender Ricardo Carvalho.
Ghana midfielder Essien, 24, is in England and was at Brentford's Griffin Park last night for his country's friendly against Ghana, although he did not feature in the goalless draw.
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Carvalho: Unhappy being third choice.
While the arrival of the midfielder would be another welcome selection headache for Mourinho to ponder, the Chelsea manager has been left less than impressed by an outburst from Carvalho.
The Portuguese international was furious following his omission from the starting line-up for last Sunday's game at Wigan, where skipper John Terry and William Gallas were paired together in central defence.
The £19.85million signing from Porto was a key component of Chelsea's watertight defence last season, forging a successful partnership alongside Terry.
But Mourinho readjusted his side against Wigan, who they beat 1-0 with a stoppage-time winner, prompting Carvalho to break rank and declare it 'incomprehensible' he has slipped to third in the centre-back pecking order.
Chelsea are understood to be highly displeased the 27-year-old thought it necessary to air his grievances in public, rather than wait until his return from international duties with Portugal - who beat Egypt 2-0 in the Azores last night - and raise the matter internally.
The defender is now likely to be asked to explain his outburst to club officials, and could well be facing up to a heavy fine following his outspoken comments.
'I want to know why I didn't play,' said Carvalho in an interview with Portuguese newspaper A Bola.
'How can I explain when I don't understand it? Sincerely, I gave a lot of thought and time to myself but cannot find a valid explanation. It's totally incomprehensible.
'I don't understand why Mourinho said I have to wait for another opportunity to play this season. I don't understand the reason he put me in a group including Robert Huth, Joe Cole and Tiago.
'Sincerely, I don't understand why he told me what he told me. I don't believe I'm going to be third choice.
'The Premiership has begun and I will play many games, I have no doubt. It's incomprehensible that I will become third choice.'
One of Mourinho's greatest achievements last season was maintaining team spirit even though competition for places in the starting line-up was ferocious.
But Carvalho's remarks are a clear indication such harmony can not be taken for granted during Chelsea's title defence and with new players being recruited during each transfer window, the potential for discontent to grow is obvious.
Carvalho's disillusionment at being grouped alongside Cole, Tiago and Huth will hardly boost his own popularity within the squad - not least because Cole and Tiago contributed fully to Chelsea's success last season.
But this is not his first run-in with Mourinho - the two did not always see eye-to-eye at Porto - and he is anxious their relationship should not deteriorate once again.
The player added: 'At FC Porto I didn't have an easy life with Mourinho, especially in the year he arrived. But in time I recovered my confidence and finished in a big way. I don't want an identical situation at Chelsea.'
Shaun Wright-Phillips, meanwhile, is expected to be fit for Sunday's showdown against Arsenal.
The winger pulled out of England's friendly against Denmark with a swollen knee joint, but his withdrawal was more a precautionary measure.
