Chelsea complete Johnson deal
Wednesday, July 16, 2003
Article summary
The Roman Abramovich era at Chelsea FC has begun with the €8.5m signing of defender Glen Johnson.
Article body
Chelsea FC have completed the signing of West Ham United FC's England Under-21 defender Glen Johnson for a fee of €8.5m.
Five-year contract
The 18-year-old is the first new arrival at Stamford Bridge since Russian businessman Roman Abramovich bought the club at the start of the month. Johnson has signed a five-year contract and will now fly out to Italy to join his new team-mates for their pre-season preparations.
Looking ahead
Speaking to Chelsea's official TV station, Johnson said: "They are a great club. There are lots of internationals here and I can't wait to play with all the players. I just want to get out there and to get to know everybody."
Rave reviews
Johnson only broke into the West Ham first team last season, after a short loan spell at Millwall FC, and made just 14 starts. Despite his excellent form, the right-back was unable to help the club avoid relegation from the Premiership. It remains to be seen who else will join him at Chelsea as the club has been linked with a number of big-name stars.
