Ben Haim a Blue

Chelsea beaten out Newcastle and have signed Bolton Wanderers central defender Tal Ben Haim on a free transfer.

Ben Haim has passed a medical at Stamford Bridge this afternoon and afterwards singed a 4 year contract. Rejecting a 2m pound price tag by Bolton during the January transfer window, it looked like the Israeli international would follow his former boss to Newcastle but Chelsea have done enough to convince the stalwart that his future remains in London.

The 25 year old former Maccabi Tel Aviv player now looks set to compete for a place in the Chelsea lineup. While a good player, I doubt he will force his way into the side and replace Ricardo Carvalho in the starting lineup, especially as he had a career season last year. It probably comes down to salary: Chelsea offered the most. Whether it will end up being in Ben Haim’s interests will have to be seen.

Bolton’s new manager Sammy Lee was hoping to keep Ben Haim on the books but could not match Chelsea’s salary structure. Ben Haim will now join Jose Mourinho's squad for their pre-season tour of the United States in July.

Ben Haim becomes the third new addition to the Chelsea first team following Claudio Pizarro and Steve Sidwell, all on free transfers as Chelsea follow thru with their new cheapski strategy.