Chelsea duly reward Drogba

English FA Premiership: Didier Drogba signed a four-year contract at Chelsea yesterday and few will dispute he deserves the pay rise. The striker has scored 10 goals this season, including spectacular winners at home to Barcelona and Liverpool and a stoppage-time equaliser at Camp Nou this week.

Drogba is in his finest form since Jose Mourinho bought him from Marseille in 2004. The 28-year-old Ivory Coast striker had been tempted to leave in the past, and expressed misgivings last season, but in the summer Mourinho insisted he was not for sale.

"I am not playing well just because I wanted to sign a new contract," Drogba told Chelsea TV. "I am playing well because I feel good and I am happy to train with my friends. I want to say thank you to Jose for believing in me since the beginning and now we will be together for a long time; the best period of my career, I think. I am happy because when I came here it wasn't easy for me to say I would be signing a new contract with Chelsea, because everybody knows the first year was difficult. The second one was okay but I knew I could do better."

Mourinho has also shown confidence in goalkeeper Hilario by continuing to select him since Carlo Cudicini recovered from concussion. The Portuguese made a fifth straight appearance at Barcelona on Tuesday night and is expected to add to that run at Tottenham tomorrow. Having kept three clean sheets, and saved a penalty at Sheffield United, he hardly merits demotion, even if his kicking looks an accident waiting to happen.

The sole regret for the 31-year-old is the circumstances in which he earned his "big opportunity". After Petr Cech and Cudicini suffered head injuries at Reading, he was the last senior goalkeeper standing. "It's not the way I want to play," he said. "I want to play because I work well but in life sometimes things happen you can't choose."

He got a close look at Cech's condition at the Madejski Stadium. "It was shocking what happened with Petr," he said, "and I stayed with him to help."

Chelsea's only two defeats of the campaign, to Liverpool in the Community Shield and at Middlesbrough, came with Cudicini in goal, and Mourinho trusts Hilario, having coached him at Porto. Strong defending means the under-21 international has scarcely been overworked but he is not the nervous type. Of facing Barcelona, he said: "My experience and calm nature stood me in good stead."

He was delighted, rather than offended, when a huge cheer greeted his first touch on his debut, at home to the Catalans. "The atmosphere was very calming for me, and reassuring," he said. If Cudicini is angry at being overlooked, he has hidden it.

"I don't think we have frustrated players at Chelsea," added Hilario. "Chelsea are a great team and Carlo has given a lot of help to me."

The manager, who is monitoring PAOK Salonika's Daniel Marcio Fernandes as a possible goalkeeping reinforcement, has again been vilified in Barcelona, but Hilario does not see him altering his approach to football. "He has shown what he is like over the years," he said, "and it's hard to say he will change that."

Meanwhile, Uefa president Lennart Johansson has denied attacking Chelsea and the club's billionaire owner Roman Abramovich. Johansson moved swiftly to quell any lingering misunderstanding after being upset by the interpretation of his remarks on club ownership following a press conference in London on Thursday.

Johansson told the club's chief executive Peter Kenyon he had not singled out Chelsea or Abramovich for criticism regarding their ownership structure. The Swede stressed he was not referring to any individual club and added: "I'm saddened if my remarks are used against any individual club because it's not for me to comment on any club compared to another. As we look across the European football scene it's clear there are many issues and challenges that have to be faced. I have highlighted two of these (player behaviour and club ownership) which are matters for the whole of the game to consider but I do not regard this as a matter for one club or one individual."

Johansson also distanced himself from comments regarding any possible disciplinary proceedings against Chelsea as a result of events during the match in Barcelona and any implied criticism of Mourinho. He insisted Barcelona's actions would also come under scrutiny although Chelsea are likely to face a fine for getting six yellow cards. Champions League rules state there is an automatic fine for five or more yellows in one game.

Johansson added: "On the crucial issue of behaviour in the game I do think there were issues at the recent Barcelona versus Chelsea match which will need to be looked at by the Uefa disciplinary bodies in relation to both clubs."

Guardian Service