Panucci leaves Chelsea

Christian Panucci has joined AS Monaco for a six-month loan from Inter Milan after spending several frustrating months with Chelsea.

Panucci, who won Champions Cup titles with AC Milan and Real Madrid, has had a difficult season on loan at Stamford Bridge spending most of the season on the bench after being unable to convince new coach Claudio Ranieri that he was worth a place in the Blues' starting line-up.

"I am very happy to come play at Monaco, which is a great club, despite its results," said the 27-year-old.

"It is also a way for me to relaunch my career, because I experienced several problems from the start of the season at Chelsea."