Wilfried Bony – Will Chelsea FC Regret Not Signing Him?

Swansea City striker Wilfried Bony recently agreed to terms with Manchester City and will be making the move to the Etihad Stadium after the African Cup of Nations. He is a big and physical striker who has proven himself in the Premier League and Chelsea FC may regret not signing him when they had the chance.

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There isn’t much one can say about the fantastic start which the Blues have made this season. The Chelsea FC project which Jose Mourinho envisioned in his first season is now almost complete. The only missing piece in the puzzle is the silverware which will complete the dream of a long awaited league trophy. With Jose taking the seat of the gaffer in his second homecoming, it was expected that Chelsea will enter a period of stability not only in terms of winning on a regular basis but more importantly a steadiness after some years of managerial turbulence which created an air of vulnerability around Stamford Bridge.

Mourinho stamped his authority with the signings of Diego Costa, Fabregas, Remy and Felipe Luis. He added another masterstroke by bringing back our legend Didier Drogba not only as a third striker but also as a mentor for the new and young contingent of Chelsea. Costa and Fabregas from day one set the Premier league alight with their combination play.

They way they have gelled together, it is as if they have been playing together for years. Remy, Luis and Drogba although not playing on a regular basis, have been more than enough in taking responsibilities when called. With the new acquisitions, the Chelsea roster looks like an impregnable shield.

Jun 4, 2014; Frisco, TX, USA; El Salvador midfielder Darwin Ceren (7) fights for the ball with Ivory Coast forward Bony Wilfried (12) during the game at Toyota Stadium. Ivory Coast defeats El Salvador 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

With the season wearing on, we got to see the beautiful game with Fabregas’s intricate passing and Costa’s clinical finishing along with Hazard’s amazing trickery setting the pace for the season. But with Costa’s hamstring coming back to haunt him, Drogba and Loic Remy have stepped up with good performances. Mourinho consolidated the attack to a large extent which was the weakest link last year. But when we compare Chelsea’s attack to Man City’s who is our main rival, it seems that Chelsea’s front line is lacking a serious depth.

The first choice strikers of both the teams are equally good with Costa and Aguero respectively. But the depth of a team isn’t only decided by comparing the first eleven, but by comparing the players who will come from the bench. Remy is a good striker but it is doubtful whether he will fetch 20 goals a season, where as in the case of Manchester City, they have Edin Dzeko who scored 16 goals last season being the second striker behind Sergio Aguero. Drogba is a shadow of the player he once was and although he can score some crucial goals, he can’t perform for the whole 90 mins at his age.

Wilfried Bony is one striker who Chelsea should have chased and acquired in the January transfer window. Chelsea is a team whose attack thrives on strong center forwards who can hold up play and link up with the attacking midfielders much like Costa and Drogba (in his prime). Wilfried Bony has all the characteristics which would have made him a perfect fit in the Chelsea system.

In his time with Swansea, he thrived on the passes of Gylfi Sigurdsson while he could take on challenges and hold and link the play upfront. The way Fabregas and Costa have linked up this season, the thought of a Bony and Fabregas linkup is truly exciting. Bony has the strength, vision, pace along with a lethal finishing which would have consolidated our attack.