Duff reveals difficulty to move

Chelsea’s record signing Damien Duff admitted it was “the hardest decision of his life” to leave Blackburn – his only senior club – for the bright lights of west London.

Duff and Wayne Bridge became the latest players to join the Roman Abramovich bank-rolled revolution when they both signed on the same day for £17m (€23.9m) and £7m (€9.87m) respectively – taking the Russian billionaire’s spending to £36.9m (€52m) in less than a fortnight.

As part of the Bridge deal, left-back Graeme Le Saux moved in the opposite direction to Southampton.

Ireland winger Duff endured days of soul-searching before signing on the dotted line last night, but he revealed the lure of Champions League football and playing in Chelsea’s star-studded team persuaded him to leave his only professional club of seven years.

“It was a hard decision because I love it up in Blackburn,” he said.

“I was very happy there. It is a wonderful club but I have been down here about three times this week and it feels nice down here and my gut feeling was to sign. I just can’t wait to start playing football.

“It has been the hardest decision of my life, that is why it has taken all week. People think I was stalling over this and that but I am gutted to leave Blackburn – but it is a new beginning for me and I just couldn’t turn down this challenge.

“At the end of the day, it all came down to whether I wanted to go Chelsea or stay at Blackburn and I am gutted to leave Blackburn but Chelsea are one of the biggest clubs in England and hopefully I can make them one of the biggest ones in the world.”

The Irish international believes the future looks bright for Chelsea and he fully expects to win trophies with his new club.

“They have a lot of world-class players and they are exciting times, especially with the new man coming in and all the money he’s throwing at it,” he told Sky Sports News.

“With the squad they have got here already, and hopefully the players who coming in as well, we can do the business.”

Duff revealed he had spoken to manager Claudio Ranieri but the conversation had been ‘interesting’ to say the least.

“I didn’t really understand a lot. He is just football mad, all he wants to do is talk about football. It is what he lives for,” Duff added.

He also said he was confident he could adapt to life in the capital.

“I am a bit of a country boy up there (in Blackburn). I live out in the hills. I just live my football and go home to bed but it is a new challenge down here, it’s a different life and I am ready for it.”

Duff and Bridge will now fly out to Malaysia to join up with their new team-mates ahead of the Premier League Asia Cup.

Bridge, 22, is hoping his move to Chelsea will boost his chances of silverware and step up his challenge to Arsenal’s Ashley Cole for the England left-back slot.

Bridge told Chelsea TV: “It’s hard because I loved Southampton, but it’s a good career move. It’s Champions League and a club that can go on and win things.

“Hopefully I can progress at this club and push Ashley even harder for that England spot.

“It is a good squad already but hopefully I can add to that. I have come here to win medals.”

Le Saux’s move breaks a 12-year association with Chelsea, who he joined from the St Paul’s club in Jersey in 1988.

Five years later he moved to Blackburn for £4.5m (€6.34m) and was a key figure in their 1995 Premiership title triumph, but returned to Chelsea two years later.

Le Saux, who made 312 appearances for the Blues and won 36 England caps in the left-back position Bridge now aspires to, said: “There’s obviously a certain amount of sadness in leaving a club after this long, but I am very excited by the move.”