FA Community Shield 2010: Ramires to Have Chelsea Debut in the Season Opener?

It is now just a matter of time Brazilian midfielder Ramires puts pen on paper to complete his move to Chelsea this summer. Reports out in the media suggest that Chelsea has already agreed on a £17 million deal with Benfica for the player who is due to be in London on Wednesday for his medical.

Now, it seems that there is every possibility Ramires could enjoy his Chelsea debut as early as on Sunday when the Blues would face Manchester United in the FA Community Shield 2010 match at the Wembley Stadium in London.

Community Shield match is traditionally considered as the season opener in England. In terms of prestige, it may not match with Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup, but there are some importances of Community Shield.

First of all, the FA collects fund for good causes through this match. Secondly, this match is seen as the final pre-season match and managers feature their probable best eleven in this game. Thirdly, fans can get to see the new signings for the first time in a competitive match along with other key players.

This time, the Blues fans are eagerly waiting to see Ramires on the Wembley pitch. Though it is expected that his signing would be officially announced in a day or two, getting the work permit for the player would be a cause of concern.

To qualify for work permit, a player needs to represent his country in 75% matches over the last two years, but Ramires made his international debut just last year.

Well, it does not mean that he would not be granted a work permit to play in the Premier League at all, but the matter is that it could take some time to attain the work permit. In that case, he could miss the Community Shield 2010 encounter with Manchester United.

Whatever it is, Chelsea fans would love Ramires to join the Stamford Bridge as soon as possible, and no matter whether he features in Community Shield. Ramires is a highly rated box-to-box midfielder who is well-known for his excellent work-rate and skill to win back the possession.

Overall, there are lots of reasons Chelsea midfield featuring Michael Essien, Ramires and Frank Lampard could dominate in Premier League this season.