NIGEL MARTYN, the Leeds United and former England goalkeeper, is expected to become the sixth goalkeeper in the Chelsea squad today for a fee of about £500,000.
Martyn lost his first-team place at Elland Road to Paul Robinson last season, so it is easy to see the benefit of the deal to Leeds, but Chelsea have already signed three goalkeepers to understudy Carlo Cudicini this summer, although one, Jürgen Macho, suffered a training injury that will rule him out of the early months of the new campaign.
Macho arrived from Sunderland on a free transfer in June, shortly before Yves Makaba Makalamby joined from PSV Eindhoven and Marco Ambrosio signed from Chievo. Lenny Pidgely, the former youth team goalkeeper, is the other option between the posts.
Meanwhile, reports in Manchester and Argentina suggest that Juan Sebastián Verón, the Manchester United and Argentina midfield player, made his last appearance for the champions against Juventus in New Jersey in the early hours of this morning and he will sign for Chelsea over the weekend.
Guus Hiddink, the manager of PSV Eindhoven, has denied that the Dutch club has received an offer from Chelsea for Mark van Bommel, the Holland midfield player, while Fernando Morientes, of Real Madrid, who is the subject of interest from AS Roma as well as Chelsea, said that he must be guaranteed a first-team place wherever he goes.
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One deal that Chelsea have definitely completed is that with the Football Kingz club of Auckland, New Zealand. “It gives Chelsea access to the best talent in New Zealand and Australia and opens up playing and coaching exchanges,” Trevor Birch, the Chelsea chief executive, said.