Alex

[ethicalstrategy]

I'm intrigued by the situation here.

Until last night I had never seen him play, but on that evidence he looks to be very, very good.

I have read in a numerous places that he was an option for Jose in the transfer window to provide additional firepower at centre back but that Jose didn't want to take him.

I am presuming that this was some kind of political decision rather than a comment by Jose on his ability. I heard that the deal which led to us buying Alex and then "renting" him to PSV was brokered by Arnesen.

I would certainly be happy to see him at the Bridge next season if last night was anything to go by.

[loz]

I think there is some work permit issue as well (are the rules different in Holland for some reason?).

He was expected to break into the Brazil team (hence taking away the work permis issue) which hasn't happened.

From the limited info I have heard from people I would be wary of thinking it is worth bringing him in based on last night's performance. it would seem that last night he was head and shoulders above his normal level of performance.

[Elliott]

I think his lack of a work permit has prevented him from moving sooner, but from last nights reportings, he sounds like a very good player.

A possible move to the Bridge at the end of the season? Read on:

Alex puts knife into Gunners and gives Chelsea last laugh

On-loan defender Alex scored the vital goal as PSV beat Arsenal and could now face his employers, Chelsea, in the next round.

Dominic FifieldMarch 8, 2007 02:19 AM

The mood in this arena was grim enough without PSV Eindhoven reminding their hosts in the aftermath that the man who had effectively jettisoned Arsenal from this season's Champions League is technically a Chelsea player. "Alex won the tie for Eindhoven but it just shows Chelsea have enough money to buy the best players," said Ars?ne Wenger with a grimace. "That's not news." It was, however, galling.

The Brazilian, who is nicknamed The Tank, was outstanding here not least because lesser players would have wilted after inadvertently prodding their opponents ahead. Yet, after Alex had poked in his compatriot Denilson's corner it was he who trundled up from the back to lose Emmanuel Adebayor at Edison M?ndez's free-kick and, hanging supremely in mid-air, thump a decisive header down and beyond Jens Lehmann. But the 24-year-old hardly celebrated, his job clearly not yet done. Some seven minutes later, the smile plastered across his face might have betrayed that of a man who knew he had eliminated local rivals.

Ronald Koeman, aware of cross-capital rivalries, appreciated the irony of the situation. "I think Chelsea will be happy tonight," he said. "Normally, they'd like the English team to go through, but I know about the occasional, not disagreements but let's say miscommunications sometimes between Jose Mourinho and Ars?ne Wenger. Alex is a Chelsea player and PSV rent him from them because I think he was still not allowed to play in England [he did not qualify for a work permit]. It's not just Alex who's playing in that kind of situation. More clubs use that kind of player these days.

"We're proud he plays for our team, but he's only PSV's player until the end of this season. After that, we will be talking to Chelsea about the player's situation. But that's the truth at this moment."

The Dutch club retain hopes of persuading Chelsea to grant them an the option to sign him permanently, though Alex has his admirers at Stamford Bridge, not least the football director Frank Arnesen who could yet outstay Mourinho in west London. When the Portuguese urged his board to grant him funds to sign a centre-half in January, senior members of the Chelsea hierarchy indicated that Alex could be summoned from Eindhoven. Yet the manager apparently doubted the player's pedigree.

He may have appreciated his bulldozing snap in the tackle here and the manner in which he tore into Julio Baptista - the Tank versus the Beast - to set the tone early. Those early challenges confirmed PSV would resist the home side's intricate passing moves, the thunderous tackles shuddering through the home set-up and heightening the self-doubt. When Arsenal threatened to conjure reward in a frantic second half it was Alex and his excellent goalkeeper Gomes who shut them out. Certainly, Wenger's apparently tiring youngsters could hardly have relished the Brazilian's brutal presence.

PSV, who have relished his addition to their ranks for three seasons following his move from Santos, and Arsenal clearly appreciate him more now. "He kept their defence tight, saved them every time and dominated our players in the air easily ," said Wenger, who watched dismayed as Alex soared above his panicked defence to nod in the decisive equaliser. "I'm not sure this is a unique situation and I'm not sure he's the only player Chelsea own."

What could be extraordinary is that the Brazilian could quite legitimately line up against Mourinho's side in this competition should Chelsea be drawn against PSV in the knock-out games to come. Quite how the Chelsea manager would react is intriguing. "He can play against them because he is registered to us for the whole season," said Koeman. "People said they may try and bring him to England in January, but the deal was for 12 months, so we would have tried to keep him.

"He is a fantastic defender and played so well tonight. In the really big games, the best players show themselves. He enjoyed the level this game was played at. Sometimes, in the Dutch league he loses concentration more easily because the level's not as high. But he's one of the best central defenders and I'm amazed that he is still playing with us. "

Meet the tank

Alex shot to prominence as a 20-year-old during his first season with Santos in 2002, his uncompromising style and capacity for scoring goals proving immediately that he could play at the highest level. He found the net three times in his first season and upped that to nine the following campaign. Chelsea own the player but the man they call "The Tank" has been playing for PSV since the summer of 2004, his leadership taking them to the Champions League semi-finals in 2005 and the last eight this season.

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/03/..._gunners_a.html

[Chippy]

I liked what I saw last night and think if he would have been handy had we got him in January, that said its good to see how he go's for the rest of PSVs season if we have an option for next season, at least hes getting some good games under his belt in the CL so if he comes out of it well he could be worth Jose thinking about (if Jose is still here).

I hope we dont get them in the Draw as I would like to see him a against Man Utd or Milan.

[MHedges]

Reports coming out saying we have the option to buy him for $1 at the end of the season.

This is London

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/sport/art ... article.do

08.03.07

[SydneyChelsea]

I think you are getting carried away.

What Koeman said about his mentality and concentration post-match is a criticism levelled at him by many. Then again, a defender who is consistent for 90 minutes is a rare sight indeed.

[Elliott]

Chelsea's links with PSV raise eyebrows

By David Bond

Last Updated: 2:10am GMT 09/03/2007

Alex's heroics against Arsenal on Wednesday night have made him so popular in Holland that they named the plane which flew the PSV Eindhoven team home after him.

Back in London, the Brazilian defender's name was still causing quite a stir, too, as questions over his ownership put Chelsea's relationship with the Dutch club firmly back in the spotlight.

After scoring the goal which dumped Arsenal out of Europe, Alex added to the intrigue surrounding his ultimate owners by claiming his contract "belongs to Chelsea".

His remarks seemed to back up comments made by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and PSV coach Ronald Koeman following the game which claimed he was owned by the Premiership champions.

Last night Chelsea claimed Wenger and Koeman had got it wrong and insisted that they do not own him but simply have an option to buy him. Uefa and the Premier League added that they had checked the player's registration and that no rules had been broken.

But should Chelsea be drawn to face PSV in the quarter-finals of the Champions League today, questions will again be asked about the close links between the clubs and the lack of power exercised by Uefa to stop such apparent conflicts of interest.

A Chelsea source said: "Alex is a PSV player. His international transfer certificate is held by PSV and he is registered with them. He is not a Chelsea player; we have an option to buy him. But we have no control over him or any influence."

Alex was linked with a move to Stamford Bridge in January, but he was unable to obtain a work permit. In Holland, players from outside the European Union required only to have appeared for their national team at senior or youth level or to have played league football in one of Fifa's top 40 countries.

At the end of three years in Holland, Alex will qualify for a Dutch passport, meaning he will be able to sign for an English team. This is his third season with PSV and it is expected he will move to Chelsea in the summer.

Chelsea say they have a similar arrangement with another Brazilian defender, Alcides, who joined PSV from Benfica in January. It is not clear whether Chelsea have an option with Eindhoven or the Portuguese club to buy him.

As PSV's former technical director, Frank Arnesen, is now Chelsea's sporting director, there are suspicions that the connections between the clubs are deeper than so far revealed. Despite Chelsea's insistence that they have done nothing wrong, Uefa remain concerned.

A Uefa spokesman said: "Currently there's nothing to stop it if he is a player registered and playing with PSV. But we are aware of the situation and there are discussions surrounding the case of Alex."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtm...09/sfnche09.xml

I would like to see him move to us at the end of the season. If, he doesnt figure regularly in the first team, i would at least expect him to provide excellent cover.

You can bet your life Arnesen has got something to do with all this. He's a sneaky bar steward and make no mistake.

[Elliott]

Alex wants Chelsea return

[Sofa Manager]

Alex wants Chelsea return

"Return" ?

I believe he can be usefull - even as a mere option - and since he's already ours...no more ? to spend...decent solution IMO.

[Lofty]

This is news to me. When PSV Eindhoven played the Arse, the initial story was that Alex was already on the club's books, but as far as I remember this was followed by a denial, accompanied by a statement that Chelsea had an option to buy the player at the end of this season?

Sky Sports have a different take on the story:

Brazil defender Alex claims Chelsea are striving to secure a work permit in order to bring him to England.

Chelsea have long been rumoured to own Alex, who has been on PSV Eindhoven's books for the last three years as he has been unable to secure a work permit to play in England.

He has been an inspirational figure for PSV, but seems intent on making a move up the football pyramid having helped the club retain the Eredivisie title.

"The chance that I will leave PSV is quite big," Alex told De Telegraaf.

"At this moment Chelsea are very busy with getting a work permit for me.

"Earlier they did the same with Salomon Kalou and several other players, which worked out fine."

Chelsea have John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho as Jose Mourinho's preferred centre-back pairing, but Alex says he has no intention of heading to Stamford Bridge to warm the bench.

He added: "Chelsea are a great club, but it is most important that I will play a lot of games there.

"If I only sit on the bench, it will be difficult. But whether that will happen, you only know when you are there."