Eto’o becomes latest to snub Chelsea

CHELSEA were dealt another striking snub yesterday when it was confirmed Samuel Eto’o had signed a new long-term contract with Barcelona.

The Premiership champions had been linked with the striker following his impressive performances against them in last season’s Champions League campaign.

But on the day that Chelsea finally managed to sell Mateja Kezman to Atletico Madrid for £5.3million, Eto’o opted to stay in Spain.

Barca feared the Cameroon international would move on because of the time it was taking him to sign a new contract. But the 24-year-old ended all the speculation over his future by committing himself to the Catalan giants until 2010.

Eto’o scored 24 goals in his first season at the Nou Camp as he helped Barca to the title and added: “The most important thing for me now is to win the Champions League.”

Eto’o has become the third high-profile Barca star to commit his future to the club this summer after Deco and Xavi.

Meanwhile Atletico sealed the signing of Chelsea flop Kezman after the Serbia and Montenegro international failed to make an impact at Stamford Bridge.

Despite a sensational scoring record for PSV, Kezman was never in favour with Jose Mourinho.

Kezman arrived in England in a £5million switch last summer after scoring 105 goals in 112 league starts for PSV. However, he found himself behind both Didier Drogba and Eidur Gudjohnsen in Mourinho’s plans. Even a goal in the Carling Cup final victory over Liverpool could not kick-start his career with the Blues, and Mourinho moved swiftly to allow the striker to move.

But Kezman, who scored just four goals in 25 Premiership appearances, fired a parting shot at Chelsea after signing for the Spanish side. He claimed Atletico would prove to be a more prestigious outfit than Roman Abramovich’s squad.

“I’m happy to have come to a club that was once bigger than Chelsea and that will be bigger than them again in the future,” said Kezman.

“Spanish football is more like Dutch football and I think because of that, I can do more here than I did in England.”

Hernan Crespo is to meet with Chelsea officials at the end of the week in a bid to sort out his future.

The striker, who spent last season on loan to AC Milan from the Barclays Premiership champions, is due back in training at Cobham with the rest of the first-team squad on July 6.

The Argentinian, who scored two goals in the Champions League final defeat by Liverpool, wants to stay in Italy and has offered to take a substantial cut in wages in order to do so.

But left-back Kakha Kaladze’s failure to secure a move to the Blues has worried Crespo and he now fears his hopes of staying with the Serie A side are under threat.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho and chief executive Peter Kenyon want Crespo back at Stamford Bridge, but the player feels his interests are best served by staying in Milan.

Meanhile Kenyon last night paid tribute to former Chelsea star Gianfranco Zola, who has decided to quit the game.

After playing for Cagliari in Sardinia last season, the 38-year-old feels it is time to call an end to his playing days and announced his decision at a press conference yesterday.

The former Parma forward was a massive hit during his time in England and was voted Chelsea’s greatest-ever player by their supporters in a recent poll.