Chelsea's Crespo to say no to Milan

By Dave Eadevic
July 9 2004

Despite being given an opportunity to leave Chelsea and return to Italy with AC Milan it now appears that Crespo is happy to fight for a place with Chelsea next season. It had been widely expected that the striker would jump at the chance to make a move, but that appears to be wrong.

He hardly endeared himself to the new management by turning up late to training.

It now appears that that absence was authorised or so claims his agent, but where he will find himself in the running for first team football is anyone’s guess. New manager Jose Mourinho who has already bought Serbian striker Mateja Kezman to add to Eidur Gudjohnsen and Adrian Mutu and was still keen on Marseille's Didier Drogba.

But he has reaffirmed his intention of playing for a club he claimed to love when he first arrived. He had been widely thought to be off to Milan in a loan deal and this indeed still has possibilities, but to remain at Chelsea looks a lot more possible than it did a week ago.