Mineiro is set to make his full Chelsea debut today against Blackburn Rovers.

The Brazilian midfielder, 33, signed on a free transfer from Hertha Berlin, has been added to the Chelsea squad and could replace John Obi Mikel, following the Nigerian's error strewn performance against Roma on Wednesday.

"Other players are my allies, not my opponents. I'm not trying to fight against them for a place," Mineiro said. "We are a group, it's all about the team and doing the best for the team.

"I first heard about Chelsea's interest two months ago, I was very happy because I wasn't playing at the time and it was a great opportunity for me to come here and show my work. I'm really happy I'm here and have this opportunity now."

Mineiro had plenty of offers during the summer, including one from Arsenal, as well as the chance to stay in Berlin. But he could not resist the chance to work with Luiz Felipe Scolari at Stamford Bridge.

"Every coach has their own way of working and at that time the Hertha coach thought maybe I wasn't right for the team he was trying to build," Mineiro said.

"They did offer me an extension to my contract even if I wasn't playing. But that's in the past, what is gone is gone. I'm very happy to be here instead."