Kezman completes Madrid move

Atletico Madrid have completed the signing of Chelsea striker Mateja Kezman.

Atletico Madrid have completed the signing of Chelsea striker Mateja Kezman in a £5.3 million deal.

The Serbia & Montenegro international failed to make an impact at Stamford Bridge despite his sensational scoring record for PSV Eindhoven, and found himself out of favour under Blues boss Jose Mourinho.

After travelling to Vicente Calderon for talks on Tuesday the 26-year-old has tied up all remaining loose ends with the London outfit and will look to rejuvenate his career in La Liga after signing a three-year deal.

Kezman arrived in England in a £5 million switch just last summer, and was full of confidence after claiming a remarkable 105 goals in 112 league starts for the Dutch giants.

However, his time in The Premiership quickly soured as he found himself behind both Didier Drogba and Eidur Gudjohnsen in Mourinho's plans.

Even a goal in the Carling Cup final victory over Liverpool could not kick-start his career with the Blues, and Mourinho has now decided to allow the striker to move on as he frees up space for new recruits.

After tying up a move to Spain Kezman, who scored just four goals in 25 Premiership appearances, was less than magnanimous about his exit from Stamford Bridge.

The forward fired a parting shot as he claimed that Atletico would prove to be a more prestigious outfit than Roman Abramovich's side, whilst Chelsea would regret not utilising him more frequently.

"I'm happy to have come to a club that was once bigger than Chelsea and that will be bigger than them again in the future," said Kezman.

"It's a pity for Chelsea that I didn't get the chance to play and that's why I decided to move.

"I was sad that I didn't get a better chance because when I did play, I played some very good matches.

"The year was a huge experience for me. But when I got the offer from Atletico, I didn't think twice.

"Mourinho and Chelsea are now in the past for me, I don't want to talk about them anymore. All I want to talk about is Atletico Madrid."

Kezman also insisted that the style of play in La Liga would prove beneficial to his form, and that he was looking forward to striking up a partnership with Spanish wonderkid Fernando Torres.

"I think I can be a success in Spain because there's a difference between here and the football in England," Kezman continued.

"I think it will be easier in Spain because the football is more technical whereas in England the football is a lot more powerful.

"Spanish football is more like Dutch football and I think because of that, I can do more here than I did in England.

"One reason for coming here is that I think I can play well alongside Fernando Torres. I think he's a fantastic player.

"I will work hard to take the pressure off him and help make him an even better player as the responsibility of getting goals does not scare me."

Meanwhile, Atletico are reported to have also struck a verbal deal with Espanyol for Maxi Rodriguez.

The Argentine agreed terms with Atletico last week and it now seems a deal is imminent.