Tiago Off to Lyon

Tiago said "Boss, I feel very sorry to go. I love it here but I am a professional and I want to play more times. I have a good proposal from Olympique Lyon. I would like to go, it is World Cup year and the French League is a good one."

It is believed that Lyon's offer for Tiago is favourable (I am not surprised, considering the extra millions Lyon demanded for Essien) and that Tiago has been impressed not just by the club but also the manager Gerard Houllier.

Jose Mourinho's outlook on the shock news to a degree is "It [the transfer] was already in hand. It was a process when Tiago understood that he is not a first choice at the moment and Essien arrives. I can use Eidur or Joe Cole in midfield and he was feeling that since the pre-season.

"A lot of clubs were interested in him. From England, from Spain, from Portugal and Olympique Lyon. He has made a decision but it is something we have worked out.

"We have the same amount of players as we had last season - 21 plus three goal keepers and I think that is a good number to face the season. It also gives a chance to a young player like Diarra. He now knows his chance is real and he will just have to work and wait for it because there is no more Tiago in front of him.

"Tiago yesterday provoked a lot of tears in our group because he is a wonderful boy and he was a very good player for us and we know we will miss him," summed up the Chelsea boss.

"We will miss the player and we will miss the person. Yesterday when he was going to Lyon he was saying to us probably I don’t come back. It was very emotional for everybody because everybody was very disappointed."

Jose also said the following "The boy wants to go and we cannot break the legs of such a good boy for us." Classic Jose, Classic!

Tiago's most memorable moment has to be the goal he scored against Man Utd at Old Trafford at the end of last season. That goal even left Jose speechless. Not many of us can do that.