I hope you enjoyed that half hour break from posts about Andre Villas Boas. Now let's get back to the real story of the day - Andre Villas Boas. I'm a little late on this, but Porto have released a statement to stockholders saying that Chelsea have not yet met their manager's €15M release clause, which has been taken by Sky Sports etc. as some sort of major twist:
Futebol Clube do Porto, hereby informs the market that the coach Andre Villas-Boas, as well as several players in the squad, has a termination clause. To date, this company has not received any communication that this clause will be exercised.
Contrary to what many think, this is not really a big deal - it's simply a release by Porto to their shareholders keeping them updated on the exact situation. We know, therefore, that as of right now, Andre Villas Boas has not signed a deal with Chelsea. The rumour is that he will do so as soon as Chelsea send Porto the full €15M, and until they do clearly Porto will have nothing to report on that front. This news does not mean in any way shape or form that Chelsea have failed in their bid to acquire the 33-year-old.
So, the deal isn't quite official, but it's almost certain to get pushed through in fairly short order. All indications are that Villas Boas has agreed terms with the club and will join as manager, presumably bolstered by Guus Hiddink.