Mark Schwarzer joins Chelsea on one-year deal

CHELSEA have signed former Fulham and Middlesbrough goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer on a free transfer. The 40-year-old Australian, who left Fulham at the end of last season, has signed a one-year contract at Stamford Bridge.

“I’ve spoken to the manager (Jose Mourinho) and it was very easy to make the decision that Chelsea was the right club for me,” he said last night.

“The size and ambition of the club and the opportunities at the club ticked all the boxes. It was an amazing opportunity to join a fantastic club. It’s one of the best clubs in the country, if not one of the best clubs in the world, so it was very easy to make the decision.”

Schwarzer moved to England in 1996 to join Bradford before making 367 league appearances in 11 years with Middlesbrough. He won the League Cup with Boro in 2003 and appeared in the 2006 Uefa Cup final against Sevilla.

During his time at Fulham he became the first overseas player to make over 500 Premier League appearances and reached another European cup final as the Cottagers lost out to Atletico Madrid in 2010.

Schwarzer’s contract with Jose Mourinho’s Blues runs until the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where the veteran keeper will hope to add to his 108 caps given Australia’s qualification for the tournament.