Pizarro leaves Chelsea for Bremen

Chelsea FC striker Claudio Pizarro has rejoined Werder Bremen on a permanent basis for a reported €5m fee, with the 30-year-old Peruvian international striker having impressed during a loan spell last season.

Pizarro delight
"I absolutely wanted to return to Werder," said Pizarro, who has signed a three-year contract with the option of a further season. "It's very nice to be back again now. I am still looking for a nice big house." His coach Thomas Schaaf added: "In Claudio, we have signed the striker we were missing. With his extraordinary skills and great experience he showed how important he is to us last season."

Strong record
Pizarro spent one season with Chelsea in 2007/08, but struggled to force his way in the side. He started just four Premier League games, scoring twice in 21 appearances and joined Bremen on loan at the end of the campaign. Pizarro had previously enjoyed a prolific spell in the Bundesliga, first with Bremen between 1999 and 2001, then with FC Bayern München for whom he scored 70 goals in 174 league games to earn a move to Chelsea. Pizarro was back amongst the goals on his return to Bremen last season, hitting 17 in the Bundesliga and seven more in Europe to help Bremen reach the UEFA Cup final. Bremen host FK Aktobe in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League play-off on Thursday.