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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=629 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3><DIV class=mxb><DIV class=sh>Boulahrouz completes Chelsea move </DIV></DIV></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=416><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=203 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><DIV>
<DIV class=cap>Boulahrouz had a fine World Cup for Holland</DIV></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Chelsea have completed the signing of Dutch international defender Khalid Boulahrouz from German club Hamburg for an undisclosed fee.
The 24-year-old passed a medical and agreed personal terms at the weekend, and was at Stamford Bridge to see his new side beat Manchester City 3-0.
Chelsea are thought to have paid in the region of £6m for the defender, who can play anywhere across the back.
Nicknamed Khalid the Cannibal, he has been capped 15 times by Holland.
<DIV class=avinline>"In a short squad and in a country where you can have only 16 players for a match, it's important to have cover for many positions," said Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho. </DIV>
"So now I can have Boulahrouz, Ricardo Carvalho and John Terry - three options for the centre. I can have Paulo Ferreira and Boulahrouz - two options for the right side; I can have Boulahrouz and Wayne Bridge - two options for the left side."
Boulahrouz started the last two World Cup games for Holland at the World Cup but he was red-carded in their defeat by Portugal in the last 16, a stormy affair in which he was accused of deliberately trying to injure winger Cristiano Ronaldo with a thigh-high challenge.
"He is a good competitive player and will be a good addition to our squad," Chelsea's assistant manager Steve Clarke told Chelsea TV.
"It is important to have one or two players around the squad who can play in a number of different positions."
Boulahrouz is available for Chelsea's European campaign because he was a non-playing substitute in Hamburg's Champions League qualifier against Osasuna.
He will go straight into Chelsea's squad for Wednesday's Premiership game at Middlesbrough.
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<DIV class=cap>Boulahrouz had a fine World Cup for Holland</DIV></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Chelsea have completed the signing of Dutch international defender Khalid Boulahrouz from German club Hamburg for an undisclosed fee. The 24-year-old passed a medical and agreed personal terms at the weekend, and was at Stamford Bridge to see his new side beat Manchester City 3-0.
Chelsea are thought to have paid in the region of £6m for the defender, who can play anywhere across the back.
Nicknamed Khalid the Cannibal, he has been capped 15 times by Holland.
<DIV class=avinline>"In a short squad and in a country where you can have only 16 players for a match, it's important to have cover for many positions," said Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho. </DIV>
"So now I can have Boulahrouz, Ricardo Carvalho and John Terry - three options for the centre. I can have Paulo Ferreira and Boulahrouz - two options for the right side; I can have Boulahrouz and Wayne Bridge - two options for the left side."
Boulahrouz started the last two World Cup games for Holland at the World Cup but he was red-carded in their defeat by Portugal in the last 16, a stormy affair in which he was accused of deliberately trying to injure winger Cristiano Ronaldo with a thigh-high challenge.
"He is a good competitive player and will be a good addition to our squad," Chelsea's assistant manager Steve Clarke told Chelsea TV.
"It is important to have one or two players around the squad who can play in a number of different positions."
Boulahrouz is available for Chelsea's European campaign because he was a non-playing substitute in Hamburg's Champions League qualifier against Osasuna.
He will go straight into Chelsea's squad for Wednesday's Premiership game at Middlesbrough.
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