"Chelsea Football Club can confirm it has agreed terms with Real Madrid for the transfer of Ricardo Carvalho."
-Official website
Wow. I thought this had been put to bed? Apparently, not so much.
Carvalho has, according to the Guardian, agreed a two-year deal with Los Blancos. The fee for his services? Around €8m ,so sayeth the media. He reunites with the great Jose Mourinho, who coached Ricky at both Porto and Chelsea before moving to Internazionale. You may remember that Jose attempted to ink Carvalho last summer, but failed. Not this time.
So, perhaps the finest center-halve to ever grace the Shed End has departed. Don't believe me? You should.
Supreme positional sense, quick, hard-lined, intelligent, imperious - and blessed with the guile needed for those trademark sliding challenges. Don't forget his eye for goal, either. He, along with EBALJT, combined to form the best central defensive pairing in the world in the middle part of this decade. They were, simply put, stunning.
Au revoir, Lord Percy. A heartfelt thank you for all you contributed to the club during this unbelievable time of rebirth. You, sir, were a class above the rest. Good luck in all your future endeavors.
Bonus: Moving pictures of some of Ricky's finest moments at Chelsea. I don't care if he's not quite the same defender he once was, I'm going to miss this guy.