Why Chelsea FC Passed On Lazar Markovic

Serbian starlet Lazar Markovic is set to join Liverpool after the Merseyside club met Benfica’s 25 million-euro buy-out clause for the player. In his one season at Estadio da Luz, Markovic was unable to fully build upon the form he enjoyed at Partizan Belgrade prior to joining the Portugese giants. Chelsea had first option on the 20-year-old player and could have added him to the ranks for €15 million, but the Blues brass decided against making the move.

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The decision to not dole out the €15 million to our frequent transfer partners and instead let Lazar Markovic join a direct rival is a wise one, given the present state of the club. Chelsea currently has a bounty of young, attack-minded midfielders both at Stamford Bridge and on loan at various clubs across Europe. The likes of Willian, Mohamed Salah, Lucas Piazon, and Thorgan Hazard are already on the books and all can arguably exceed the potential that is expected of Markovic.

Liverpool has recently come upon a large transfer chest after the reported €90 million sale of Luis Suarez to Barcelona. With the additions of Markovic and Adam Lallana they look to add some exciting depth to the group of attacking midfielders already at the club, but still haven’t found a player capable of filling the giant goal scoring void left by the Uruguayan’s departure. Markovic last scored February 27^th against PAOK in the Europa League.

With the signings of Spanish pair Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa already completed earlier this summer, the club has made it clear that the objective is to win now. The transitory phase in Jose Mourinho’s return to Stamford Bridge is over and the team is fully expected to collect silverware in the coming season. Markovic has not yet proven that he will be able to consistently produce quality performances for a team against top opposition. In his four Champions League appearances last season (2 against Anderlecht, 1 against Olympiacos, 1 against PSG) his average match rating was only 6.37, according to whoscored.com.

Lazar Markovic, a player Chelsea had scouted over the past few years, was deemed an unnecessary addition and is now off to Anfield.

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