Bremen bring back Pizarro

Werder Bremen have agreed a deal with Chelsea FC for the services of striker Claudio Pizarro, who has moved to the Weserstadion on a one-year loan having left the club in 2001.

Peripheral role
The 29-year-old Peruvian international forward moved to Stamford Bridge from FC Bayern München last summer but found first-team opportunities hard to come by, making only four Premier League starts and featuring just twice in the UEFA Champions League. "We had been looking into a number of possibilities but this is one we had favoured for some time and we are delighted that the transfer of Claudio Pizarro has now been finalised," said Bremen general manager Klaus Allofs, whose side will enter the UEFA Champions League in the group stage. "Claudio is one of the top strikers in Europe and with him we can further improve." Head coach Thomas Schaaf added: "We've known about Claudio's abilities for years. He has constantly furthered his development and will breathe new life into our game with his wealth of experience."

'Opened the door'
The striker is a familiar figure at Bremen having scored 29 goals in 56 league appearances for the club between 1999 and 2001 prior to joining Bayern, where he scored 70 league goals in five seasons. "Back then Werder opened the door to Europe for me," said Pizarro, whose new club start the 2008/09 Bundesliga season at DSC Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday. "I had two wonderful years there. In the meantime the club has developed very well and is now one of the best teams in Europe. I hope to help them  with my international experience. The opportunity to play with Werder in the Champions League greatly influenced my decision. Money only played a minor role."