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Friday 4 January 2013

Demba Ba 'Happy And Proud' After Sealing Chelsea Switch

The Senegal star has signed on a three-and-a-half year contract from Newcastle

Chelsea have announced the signing of Demba Ba from Newcastle.
The Senegal striker completed his move this morning and has joined the Blues on a three-and-a-half year contract after the club triggered the £7m release clause in his Magpies contract.
The former West Ham forward will wear the No 29 shirt and is available for selection for tomorrow's FA Cup match at Southampton, and the Capital One Cup semi-final against Swansea.
The 27-year-old said: "It feels good to be here, I'm very happy and very proud.
"It was important for me, and for Newcastle, to get my future sorted and now we can move on. Now they have the whole month to buy someone and for me as well, the sooner the better.
"Now I am here I just need to get settled in.

"When the club who won the Champions League wants you, the decision is very easy. This club is massive and that's something that helped the decision a lot. It was not a hard one."
Ba is joint-third in the Premier League scorers table this season with 13 goals so far.
The transfer puts the seal on a stunning rise from the lower reaches of French football to the European champions.
Born in the suburbs of Paris, Ba played for Port Autonome du Havre, Montrouge and third division side Rouen before moving to Mouscron, in the Belgian top flight.
He then moved to Hoffenheim, helping them win promotion to the Bundesliga, and was signed by West Ham two years ago.
Newcastle swooped after the Hammers were relegated that season and Ba played a pivotal role as the Magpies finished fifth in the top flight last season.
Chelsea will not lose his services for the African Nations Cup later this month as Senegal have not qualified.

Demba Ba factfile

1985: Born May 25, in Sevres, France.
2004: Spends five months at Watford but does not do enough to earn a full-time contract with the club.
2005: Signed by Rouen and converted from a midfielder to a striker.
2006: Moves to Belgian side Mouscron but breaks two bones in his leg after scoring in each of his first three games, with the subsequent surgery leading to permanent knee damage.
2007: June 2 - Makes a goalscoring start to his international career with Senegal, scoring in a 1-1 draw with Tanzania.
August - Joins Hoffenheim and helps the club gain promotion to the Bundesliga in his first season.
2009: A proposed move to Stuttgart collapses when Ba fails his medical due to the knee damage suffered in 2006.
2011: January - Another failed medical prevents a move to Barclays Premier League side Stoke, but instead completes a deal to join West Ham on a pay-as-you-play deal.
May - Scores seven goals in 13 games for the Hammers but turns down a new deal when the club are relegated to the npower Championship, triggering a clause in his contract that allows him to negotiate a free transfer away from Upton Park.
June 17 - Newcastle win the race to sign Ba, who signs a three-year deal.
 
September 24 - Scores first goals for Newcastle with a hat-trick against Blackburn.
December - Named Barclays Premier League player of the month.
2012: March - Voted the best Premier League signing of the season by the league's managers but does not score again for the remainder of the season.
2013: January 2 - European champions Chelsea invoke a minimum-fee release clause in Ba's contract to allow talks between the club and the player's representatives.
January 4 - Signs for Chelsea in a three-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

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