Frank Lampard scored the game winning goal at Eastlands on Saturday.

It has been nearly a month since Chelsea’s 4-0 season opening win over Portsmouth put the English Premier League on notice.  In the two matches that followed, Chelsea was lackluster in beating Wigan and outright vulnerable in drawing at home with Tottenham.  That form, combined with the dawn of a new, financially brilliant era at Eastlands, made Saturday’s visit to Manchester City look dangerous.  But after ninety minutes of the free-flowing, attacking football that had characterized their preseason and first match against Portsmouth, Chelsea showed why they are still the class of the league.

Goals from Ricardo Carvalho, Frank Lampard, and Nicolas Anelka overshadowed Robinho’s opener - his debut goal for City - as Chelsea won 3-1 to stay at the top of the Premier League.

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Ghana international midfielder Sulley Muntari has completed his transfer from Portsmouth to Inter Milan.  Milan unveiled their new player today after a move valued at €14 million.  Muntari becomes the central midfielder Inter coach Jose Mourinho had been seeking, closing the door on a Frank Lampard move to the San Siro.

News of Muntari’s potential transfer broke last week.  Muntari was in Milan this weekend to finalize the deal and conduct a medical.  The 24-year-old move to the Nerazzurri after signing a four year deal, returning to the Serie A after a stint at Udinese early in his career.

Muntari, one of the key players in Portsmouth’s FA Cup-winning run a season ago, was expendable thanks to Pompey’s depth in central midfield, where Lassana Diarra and Papa Bouba Diop can play.  Wanting to bid for Chelsea wantaway winger Shawn Wright-Phillip, manager Harry Redknapp needed to sell in order to address his biggest need.  When Inter moved on from their Lampard chase in pursuit of Muntari, Redknapp found the Italian side’s offer too good to refuse.

Muntari becomes the last piece of the puzzle for an Inter side that says the Ghana international will be their final signing of the summer.  He is the central midfielder Mourinho lacked on a striker-heavy roster, unable to implement his preferred tactical system until he acquired a potential midfield general.  Muntari immediate moves into that slot, a box-to-box player who will fill a role similar to what fellow Ghana midfielder Micheal Essien played under Mourinho at Chelsea.

A weekly recap of all the latest happenings in Italy, including transfer news and rumors.

Florence

We begin our trip with a Fiorentina side that has been rather busy in the last few days. The Viola have recently confirmed three important signings. First, the signing of Peruvian national Juan Manuel Vargas has finally been made official. Vargas caught the eye of many clubs around Europe with his dazzling play for Serie A minnows Catania. A move to a bigger club was inevitable, with Fiorentina eventually beating out Real Madrid for the services of the left back. Fiorentina have also strengthed their back line with another important signing, Gianluca Comotto from Torino. Comotto was captain of Toro during this past season, but injury troubles kept him out for most of the second half. And to top it off, Brazilian wiz-kid Jefferson has signed a five-year contract with the Viola, but he will likely be loaned out to a Serie B team to gain some Italian footballing experience.

Rome

After Nicola Amoruso’s move to the eternal city fell through, Lazio have picked up U-21 Argentine starlet Mauro Zarate. Zarate, who spent last season on loan at Birmingham City, is said to be playing a key role in the upcoming season for the Bioncolesti. Lazio president Claudio Lotito coined the young striker as the most important signing of the season. In addition, Lazio have picked up another young forward in 19-year-old Czech talent Libor Kozak. Meanwhile, Swiss winger Valon Behrami has reiterated his intent to leave, but has shrugged off rumors linking him to West Ham. Behrami hopes for a move to the Bundesliga.

Milan

Drama continues over Frank Lampard’s possible move to Inter. The Italian champions are hoping to make three big signings to reinforce their club and defend their title. They have apparently sent their final offer for Lampard, who is described by a source as being 60/40 in favor of a move to San Siro. Inter are also turning their attention to Roma’s Brazilian ace Mancini. Roma have lowered their initial demands from 15 million euros to 13 million. Inter initially offered 10, but are hoping that a 12 million dollar bid might satisfy the high demands of their rival club. To round up their high profile signings, Jose Mourinho is hoping to bring in Porto midfielder Ricardo Quaresma. While sources say Quaresma’s move to Inter is imminent, Porto prsesident Pinto da Costa has denied receiving any offers for the Portuguese national.

AC Milan are also still hoping to land a big summer signing, but have made a stance that they will not overpay. The Rossoneri have been chasing Premiership stars Emmanuel Adebayor and Didier Drogba. Sources say they are not out of the running just yet for either of the two. As Milan continue their search for one of Europe’s top marksmen, they deny that their star Brazilian Kaka is going anywhere, after reports surfaced that Chelsea prepared a giant 94 million euro bid for Kaka’s services.

Lecce

We end our trip down south with Lecce, who are back in Seire A after a short absence and have no intention of leaving any time soon. The southern minnows are hoping to land a prolific forward, and they have set their sights on several targets including Emiliano Bonazzoli and unsettled Fiorentina striker Daniele Cacia. Lecce will have competition for both players, with Bonazzoli being linked with a move back to Reggina, as well as Cacia being pursued by Catania. Lecce will have a tough road ahead of them after they decided to part ways with manager Giuseppe Papadopulo, who lead them to their recent promotion. They have decided to hire former Siena boss Mario Beretta.

John Terry may be the club’s captain, but for Chelsea fans, Frank Lampard is just as much of a talisman. He is the leading goal scorer amongst the club’s active players. Behind Terry and backup goaltender Claudio Cudicini, he is the longest tenured player at the club. Having signed in 2001, he is one of the few players whose tenure transcends the ownership of Roman Abramovich. His ascendancy to football star has coincided with Chelsea’s rise to world club football dominance. That maturation culminated in 2005 when Chelsea won the Premiership while Lampard was the runner-up to Ronaldinho for FIFA World Player of the Year.

This history makes it difficult for Chelsea supporters to realize: Lampard should probably be sold. The star midfielder has intimated that he would like to play outside the Premiership before his career is over. At 30 years old and with ardent fan Jose Mourinho coaching Inter Milan, now is the time. Lampard has one more year on a contract that he seems reticent to buy-out, but if Chelsea does not sign-off on his transfer to Italy, Lampard seems likely to leave next season for nothing.

Adding to the player’s contract situation and wishes as reasons for him to leave Stamofrd Bridge is the actual formation. A number of factors are combining to make Lampard an awkward fit for the Blues. Last season, the club had a problem moving the ball out of their own third, having to rely excessively on targeting Dider Drogba for a lack of players in the midfield who could link-up with the forwards. Playing Michael Essien at right back half the time contributed to this problem, and moving him back to the middle will be part of the solution. Another part of the solution is the acquisition of Deco, who is exactly the kind of creative presence Chelsea lacked in the middle. With the emergence of Michael Ballack as one of best players in the world granting him a place in midfield, the center of Chelsea’s lineup has become crowded, with Lampard - talented though he is - possibly being the first man out.

As we walk through the evolution of Chelsea’s formation (from what was used last season to what is most likely for the upcoming season), you will see why Chelsea could be justified in selling Lampard for on-the-field reasons.

Going back to the end of last season, Chelsea was using a 4-5-1: a V-formation from the back topped by Drogba. This functioned as a 4-1-2-2-1, with one defensive midfielder and two wings.

Chelsea’s formation, end-of-season, 2008

This formation is a compromise Avram Grant makes to get all of Lampard, Ballack and Essien playing while keeping a true holding midfielder on the pitch. Essien, Chelsea’s strongest physical presence in midfield, moves to right back merely because he can. An incredibly versatile athlete, Essien pays the price for his talents, being taken out of his most natural position as Grant tries to keep everybody happen. When injuries occurred or players needed breaks, Essien would move back to the middle. But when all were healthy, as they were for the Champions League final against Manchester United, Essien was a wing back.

This compromise ended up costing Chelsea in that final when Cristiano Ronaldo United’s only goal by vaulting over Essien for a header. That compromise ends this season with Grant’s departure, Luiz Felipe Scolari’s hiring, and the addition of right back Jose Bosingwa from FC Porto. Bosingwa is a favorite of Scolari’s from the Portuguese national team and gives them their best option as a true right back. Barring a departure of Ricardo Carvalho, this makes Chelsea’s back line for 2008-09 pretty clear:

Chelsea’s prospective back line, start-of-season 2008

Michael Essien back to the midfield, a place where he will be needed as Chelsea tries to solve their problems in linking-up. Here, Essien’s versatility becomes a virtue, as he can play one of the holding positions Scolari is apt to employ.

Because of his ability to address Chelsea’s problem in transition, Deco is also a given, as is Drogba, who despite all his faults remains Chelsea most dangerous player.

Part of Chelsea’s prospective lineup, start-of-season 2008

At this point Chelsea’s main problems from last season are addressed, but the midfield is getting crowded and neither Lampard or Ballack have been slotted. Now something that Chelsea fans known for the past two seasons get applied to the club’s tactics: Michael Ballack is better than Frank Lampard.

Whereas the two players could coexist in the same midfield while Jose Mourinho was there to find a ways around the problems their similarities engender, that solution is no longer available. They are both very talented, resourceful players whose soccer acumen will always find ways to get a club goals. But having two plays with that profile playing in the middle of the field means you need to have others who can carry the ball out of your own end and into attack. The solution to that problem previously employed at Chelsea - mainly, Mourinho getting super-human play out of Drogba and others - can no longer be relied upon. Drogba may never be the force that he was two seasons ago, whether by lack of will or by lack of health. Chelsea needs to play their best players with the ball (Deco and Essien) in the middle, meaning there’s only one more slot left in the center of the pitch lest the Blues overcrowd the middle.

In addition to having a case for that spot based on ability and performance, Michael Ballack is a better fit for what Scolari is likely to do. Scolarli likes playing two deep midfielders, a role Ballack is more suited for than Lampard. True, Ballack is not a traditional holding midfielder; in fact, to limit him to such a role be a waste of his talents. But though it’s been said that Scolari likes two traditional holding midfielders, his use of the Joao Moutinho in Euro 2008 along side the more defensive Petit as his deep pair in Portugal’s midfield speaks to a willingness to transcend the customary profile of a defensive midfielder.

At times, Michael Ballack played deep for Joachim Low and Germany in Euro 2008 along side Torsten Frings and Simon Rolfes when the team played a 4-4-2 (Germany switched out of this formation half-way through the tournament). Low allowed Ballack the freedom to move into the play at will, a freedom it should not be assumed Scolari would withhold.

Chelsea’s prospective lineup without wings, start-of-season 2008

At this point, there are a couple of options, should Chelsea keep Lampard. Scolari could ask him to play one of the wing positions that would otherwise be occupied by Salomon Kalou and Joe Cole in a 4-5-1. Lampard could also be asked to play in support of Didier Drogba, essential moving to a forward position in a 4-4-2. The second would set off a series of balance issues (Deco’s most effective place is in the middle of the pitch), making a wing role more likely.

A player as talented as Lampard should be able to adapt to either wing spot, and it is exciting to think of what a midfield, attacking partnership between he and Deco could go. With either Ballack or Essien on their side, it would be as talented a midfield triangle that could reasonably be assembled. But would Lampard be happy in a role that saw him moved from the middle of the pitch? If he is willing to try, Scolari could open the season with the most dangerous lineup in the league.

Chelsea’s prospective lineup, start-of-season 2008

If you accept this picture of Chelsea, it sheds new light on the question of whether Lampard should stay. On the left wing, is it worth keeping him, though he is still likely to move at the end of the season? Or should the Blues cash in now while they may still be able to extract a £8 to £10 million transfer fee from Inter Milan?

One compromise may be to wait until January, when the winter transfer window would allow another chance to sell Lampard. Six months before the end of his contract, it is doubtful Inter Milan would pay as much in a transfer. They may not be willing to give anything at all. Mourinho is very confident Lampard will join Inter in July 2009. Six more months would be little to wait. But waiting would not only give Scolari and Chelsea a chance to assess whether their newly configured midfield can work, it would also give the club a chance to convince Lampard he has a future on the left wing.

If Chelsea and Lampard do come to an agreement on a contract, it will likely be for one of the highest salaries in the world. This is not the type of salary a club should be pay to a player they will have to play out-of-position. Even in this best-case scenario (where Lampard likes to play and is successful on the left wing) he will still have to be paid like a dominant, middle-of-the-pitch player. And that’s if he takes to left wing.

While it’s sad to see situations develop where a club’s talisman would benefit by moving, Chelsea’s roster and Frank Lampard’s plans match-up in this respect: It would be better if he moved now.

Chelsea’s prospective lineup without Lampard, start-of-season 2008

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Undermining a report published Friday on France Football’s website, Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho today said that he does not expect Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard to join him in Italy this season.  Mourinho said that he expects Lampard to play out the season at Stamford Bridge before joining him at the San Siro for the 2009-10 season.

“For the next season it will be easier for him to join me at Inter,” said the former Chelsea coach. “I’m 100 per cent sure in 2009-10 he will be playing here.

“This season? I don’t think so. Why won’t he . . . I’m sure Chelsea don’t want to sell him.”

Mourinho’s comments contradicted the France Football report, relayed here on Friday, that Lampard had already agreed to terms with Inter.  France Football cited a source within the Lampard family.  Lampard has not confirmed the report and has also refused to rule out a move to Inter this season.

Lampard was reported to be in Italy today on vacation.

After the France Football report broke, Chelsea said that they had no agreement with Inter for Lampard.  Mourinho has said Chelsea does not intend to sell him.

Barcelona midfielder Deco, who just finished his duties at Euro 2008 with Portugal, has signed with Chelsea.  The 30-year-old will join manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, who has coached Deco for the last six years with Portugal’s men’s national team.

The move, confirmed on Chelsea’s web site, is for a reported £8 million.

Deco was one of three Barcelona players (along with Samuel Eto’o and Ronaldinho) told they were free to talk to other clubs in the wake of Pep Guardiola’s hiring as Barça’s coach.  The Brazilian born attacker spent four years at Camp Nou after joining the Catalans from FC Porto.  He amassed 112 league appearances and 13 goals.

Deco has won two Champions League titles - one with FC Porto, the other with Barcelona - and was name best midfielder in the Champions League each time.  He was also a member of two La Liga winning teams at Barça.  His creativity and vision are seen by many as needs in Chelsea’s central midfield.

The Deco signing further fuels reports that midfielder Frank Lampard has signed with Inter Milan.  Lampard has reclined comment on the story France Football broke on Friday confirming the deal between Lampard and the Scudetto winners.  Chelsea has said no deal between the club and Inter Milan is in place.

In the first major move of the European transfer season, Frank Lampard has signed with Inter Milan, rejoining Jose Mourinho at the San Siro.  The source says that Inter and Chelsea have agreed on a 9 million Euro fee.  Lampard will sign a four year contract with an annual pay rate of 7.3 million Euros.

Neither club has confirmed the report which broke in French source France Football early Friday.  Contacted with news of the story, Chelsea denied an agreement in place with Inter.  France Football cited a family member close to Lampard as their source.

Lampard had been rumored to join Inter Milan since Jose Mourinho’s hiring last month.  Rumors of an imminent departure were fueled last week when Mourinho cut short is vacation and returned to Milan, pressumedly to finish negotiations with Lampard, with whom he had a close relationship at Stamford Bridge.

Lampard was to enter the last year of his contract at Chelsea, but having served two seasons on the deal was eligible to buy-out the last season.  The buy-out was reported to be £7 million.

Lampard leaves Chelsea having appeared 247 times in the Premiership for the club, scoring 71 goals.  He joined the Blues in 1999 on a £11 million transfer from West Ham.  In all competitions, Lampard has scored at least 15 goals in each of the last six seasons, scoring at least 20 in each of the last three.  He is also a mainstay on the English MNT, scoring 14 goals in 61 appearances.

While Chelsea fans had hoped Lampard would stay, his departure was suspected when Mourinho was hired at the San Siro.  With Luiz Felipe Scolari being hired as coach, Michael Essien is expected to resume full-time duty in the midfield after spending a large part of last season at right back.  One of Scolari’s first challenges was to make a decision on playing time and formation for Essien, Lampard, and Michael Ballack.  Lampard’s move to Inter alleviates that concern.

Both Mourinho and club president Massimo Moratti had openly confessed that Lampard was Inter’s number one off season target.

It’s only taken three days for the hiring at Stamford Bridge to set the British soccer media ablaze, so much so that, for the first time in its short history, Premiership News and Rumors concentrates on one club:  Chelsea FC.

While new Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari guides the Portuguese national team team through Euro 2008, the rest of the soccer-following world has volunteered to help him figure out how to spend owner Roman Abramovich’s fortune, from which £100 million might be allocated towards this summer’s transfer budget. All prominent targets from Scolari’s 2002 World Cup winning side from (Brazil) and the current Portuguese national team have had Chelsea move to the top of their likely destination lists; most prominently, Barcelona’s Deco and Ronaldinho.

After Scolari was named Chelsea boss earlier this week, speculation of Deco’s potential move from Barcelona exploded. Before that, speculation had Deco’s list of potential targets down to two: Chelsea and Inter Milan. Inter had been thought the favorite because of the hiring of Jose Mourinho, with whom Deco won the Champions League at FC Porto in 2004. With Scolari now announced at Chelsea, Stamford Bridge is now thought to be the favorite to land the Portuguese international, with some reports saying a deal is already done. Deco and his agent deny such a deal is in place, with the midfielder now worried that Barcelona may be asking too much as a transfer fee. “At my age you cannot ask too much for me,” said the 30-year-old, who was reported close to a deal at Inter before the Scolari hiring. That deal, said to be for around £10 million, was partially scuttled by Barça increasing their asking price. Deco’s price is now said to be closer to £15 million, with a high figure of £20 million also reported.

Deco’s teammate at Barcelona, Ronaldinho, had been speculated to Manchester City before Scolari’s hiring, but now that the man who was in charge of his 2002 World Cup winning team is at Chelsea, Ronaldinho has said “it would be a pleasure to cross paths with him again.” Part of what had made Ronaldinho’s move to Manchester City plausible (beyond Thaksin Shinawatra’s money) was the lack of interest from elite clubs. With Scolari now at Chelsea, that lack of interest may be no more. Shinawatra has been confident that City will acquire Ronaldinho, ready to pay a £20 million fee to Barça.

One other Barça player, Cameroon international Samuel Eto’o, has been linked with Chelsea, part of what might be a package deal with Deco. Eto’o has also been linked with Inter and AC Milan, the three teams most prominent in the bidding for Chelsea’s Didier Drogba. Drogba, however, in the wake of Scolari’s hiring, has reiterated his contract with Chelsea that runs through 2010, indicating he is willing to stay at The Bridge. If Drogba does indeed want to stay - a pledge he has notably come just short of making - Eto’o looks more likely to move to the Serie A.

One other current Chelsea player leaning back towards the club is center back Ricardo Carvalho. In what same have labeled as the most positive effect of Scolari’s announcement, the Portuguese international backed off quotes from early in the week pushing a reunion with Jose Mourinho. The hiring of Carvalho’s national team coach could be enough to see the club’s player of the year stay.

Another current member of the club Scolari’s hoping to keep is Frank Lampard. Lampard was another, along with Carvalho and Drogba, set to be targeted by Mourinho, but Scolari is said to be keen on keeping the midfielder, ready to make him the club’s highest paid player at £150,000 per week. The stabilizing factor of such a prominent hire may be a deciding factor for the England international, who is heading into the final year of a contract that he can buy-out for £7 million.

Real Madrid’s Robinho has also seen his name linked with Chelsea since the hiring of Scolari, though any club’s deal for the 24-year-old Brazilian is unlikely to be completed until the Cristiano Ronaldo affair ends. Robinho, it is rumored, will be proposed as a makeweight in the deal that would send Ronaldo from Manchester United to Real Madrid. Whatever odds you put on that happening, Real Madrid are unlikely to off-load the young winger when he can be used to help lure his superstar replacement. Should Madrid not acquire Ronaldo or Robinho not be makeweight in that deal, the amount speculated for a Chelsea bid is £28 million.

And no transfer speculation report would be complete without a mention of the man of the hour, David Villa. The Valencia striker has been the star of Euro 2008 over Spain’s first two matches, scoring four goals, including a hat trick in the Spaniards’ opening match against Russia. Already carrying a high price tag after scoring 18 goals in 29 games for Valencia, Villa was set to be sold to help Valencia balance their books, with Liverpool loosely mentioned as an interested party. But with Villa’s stellar performance at Euro, Rafa Benitez and his tight transfer budget might be priced out of the market, with the 26-year-old striker approaching a realm in which only the Chelseas of the world can consistently play. Villa will also see his priced pushed by La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, both of whom will have to deal with calls to acquire the available Spanish hero. However, in a ploy seemingly to drive up the price, Valencia coach Unai Emery now says Villa is not available.

If Villa truly is off-the-market, he will join a growing and distinguished list of names linked with Chelsea that have been affirmed unavailable by their owning clubs. AC Milan has warned off Chelsea regarding star midfielder Kaka amidst rumors Scolari may seek out the Brazilian. Liverpool continues to say Feranando Torres is unavailable, with Chelsea being the main target of those comments, while Bayern Munich says they will not sell Frank Ribery.

One of the more bazaar pieces of speculation holds right back Jose Bosingwa, who was confirmed in mid-May as switching from FC Porto to Chelsea, was actually a Scolari signing, with the Scolari authorizing the signing of the Portugal international almost one month before he was announced hired at Stamford Bridge. These are the type of rumors you get when the British media is handed the story of an elite club hiring a high profile coach and allocating him a seemingly unlimited amount of transfer money. You get conspiracy theories and, as seen above, links between club and almost every high-profile player in the world. Thankfully, no rumors of Portuguese international Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Stamford Bridge have surfaced.

Yet.