Under newmanager Roberto Di Matteo, who camein following Tony Mowbray's departure to Celtic in the summer, West Brom have amassed 86 points with three games remaining and still have a chance of overtaking Newcastle to win the Football League title.
The two-time Fifa World Player of the Year's time at Barcelona effectively came to an end in June when newmanager Pep Guardiola announced the playmaker was surplus to requirements.
Chelsea's response came as newmanager Luiz Felipe Scolari met the media in his new capacity for the first time since leaving his job as coach of the Portugal national side.