Soccer: Chelsea deal 'massive' opportunity says Christie

The Football Kingz' deal with glamour club Chelsea gives young New Zealand soccer players a "massive" opportunity to break into England's professional ranks, midfielder Jeremy Christie says.

The Kingz and Premier League club Chelsea, who will also be playing in the European Champions League next season, yesterday announced a "long-term" joint venture.

They said the arrangement would bring football and commercial benefits to both parties, including raising the west London club's profile in Australia and New Zealand.

It would allow the Kingz to strengthen their squad with some of Chelsea's reserves and would enable New Zealand players to spend time at Stamford Bridge.

Christie, 20, joined the Kingz in January after three years with Barnsley, who were briefly in the Premier League in the late 1990s but are now in the second division.

"I really loved my time there and I would love to get back to England at some stage, especially with a club like Chelsea," he said.

Christie believed the New Zealand players most likely to benefit from the deal would be young up-and-comers, especially those eligible for Chelsea's under-19 Academy side.

"If you've got a British passport, it's a massive opportunity for the young guys, even if it's not with Chelsea," he said.

"If you play games in the reserves, there are so many scouts watching. It doesn't necessarily have to be with one of the biggest clubs in England."

Christie added that the Chelsea recruits who came to Auckland would have a big influence on their Kingz team-mates.

"In England, the environment and training is so professional," he said.

"The Chelsea players will be a different breed to what we have here. They will bring a bit of their culture with them and it will improve us no end."

Australian National Soccer League sides are allowed four imports from outside the Oceania region.

The Kingz yesterday announced their second in 21-year-old Norwegian forward Aleksander Midtsian, who joins Chilean defender Mauro Donoso on the club's books.

Kingz director Chris Turner said the two other imports would come from Chelsea, with a striker and a central defender the main targets.

While the agreement between the two clubs will not mean any cash injection from Chelsea, any players used by the Kingz will remain on the Londoners' books and be paid by them.

Turner also announced the signing of former All White defender David Rayner, who had a stint with England's Newcastle United, and the re-signing of midfielder Chris Jackson.

- NZPA