Di Santo eager to star with Chelsea heroes

Chelsea’s new signing Franco Di Santo is eagerly anticipating playing alongside the team’s major stars after agreeing a four-and-a-half-year contract at Stamford Bridge.

The 6ft 4in striker, who joins from Audax Italiano in Chile in a deal believed to be worth £3m, is an Argentina Under-20 international but holds an Italian passport.

He is undoubtedly a player for the future and Di Santo is keen to settle in as soon as possible.

“My last season went well for me thankfully and hopefully now it will be just as good at Chelsea,” he said.

“I cannot wait to play alongside people like Frank Lampard and Nicolas Anelka.

“It will be strange for me to see them in real life – I’ve only ever seen them on television.

“Didier Drogba is a player from another planet but I’m going to have to get used to being around such great players and hopefully I can force my way into the team.

“I love the style of English football, it’s extremely attractive. I really want to impress.”

Another new arrival, defender Branislav Ivanovic, has trained with the squad this week after his arrival from Lokomotiv Moscow.

“Basically it is up to me to raise my level to the standard of the players in Chelsea and I am trying my best to reach that as soon as possible and learn to play alongside them,” said the Serbia international.

England midfielder Lampard is cursing his luck after claiming he was playing some of the best football of his career before sustaining a thigh problem for the second time this season.

Lampard was on the verge of a return to first team action in midweek but aggravated the injury in training and will miss Chelsea’s FA Cup fourth-round clash with Wigan today.

The thigh problem caused him to miss part of the season last year and he admitted his frustration with the problem, which has denied him a chance to impress new England coach Fabio Capello.

“With muscle injuries, you have to be very careful not to rush back too fast, what with all the important games and the Champions League knock-out stage coming up – but I’m getting there,” said the 29-year-old, who could be out for a further fortnight.

“I started the season feeling good, got injured, then came back and played what I feel was some of the best football I’ve ever played.

“And then I got injured again and it breaks your season up – I’ve never had to deal with it before, and it’s very frustrating.

“It’s really annoying because Fabio Capello has said there is a clean slate for everyone.

“He’s been getting around everywhere watching games and players, so this is really a time you want to be impressing him – not sat out injured.”