Chelsea FC Should Make Sami Khedira A Top Target
According to Metro Sport, Khedira told Spanish sports newspaper Marca “I love Real Madrid, it will be hard to leave this club and I will give everything for this shirt until the last day of my contract, there should be no doubt about that”.
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The 27-year-old further told Kicker, according to Daily Mail, : “I don’t have an agreement with any club nor any preferences as to who I would like to join’.
“It’s not a decision against Real Madrid. I want to find new challenges for my career and continue to grow as a player.”
Schalke recently confirmed that they have held talks with Khedira, a sentiment which Spanish football expert Guillem Balague agrees with as he stated in his column for Sky Sports that he expects the midfielder to return to Germany.
Arsenal have been long-term admirers of the midfielder and even tried to sign him in January, but have retained an interest in securing his services when his contract expires, while Chelsea are rumoured to be making a last-ditch move to sign him, according to Metro Sport. Bayern Munich and Liverpool are also muted to be interested in signing him as well.
Sami Khedira has struggled to get regular game time this season for Real Madrid due to a combination of niggling injuries and the impressive partnership of new signing and fellow German international Toni Kroos and Luka Modric in central midfield. But the signing of Brazilian Lucas Silva was most probably what sealed his decision not to renew his contract with the club as the youngster has also gone above him in the pecking order.
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In my opinion, I feel his public defense of Jose Mourinho’s time at the club played a major role in his reduced game time and strained relationship with the fans, like Alvaro Arbeloa has also witnessed this season. It was partly the same situation that forced Xabi Alonso to leave the club for Bayern Munich. Jose Mourinho has always been a huge admirer of Khedira, a feeling which is mutually felt by 27-year old, and according to the Express, Mourinho had told him as far back as August 2014 not to join Arsenal so that he could join Chelsea at the expiration of his contract.
Despite his recent injury worries, Sami Khedira is still a top midfielder who would comfortably grace the midfield of almost every top side in Europe. His performances at the World Cup in 2014, especially in the 7-1 thrashing of hosts Brazil in the semi-final where he scored and assisted a goal each and was a constant menace in midfield alongside Toni Kroos (the man who ironically has replaced him at Real Madrid), showed what he is capable of when in full flow.
His work ethic and willingness to do a job for the team, coupled with his subtle and little acknowledged dribbling skills suits Mourinho’s philosophy and would make him a fantastic addition to the team. The fact that he could be secured for free practically sweetens the deal even more.
Chelsea are clearly in need of additional reinforcements in central midfield. Fabregas’ well documented drop of form in the second half of every season has cropped up again this season and has seen the team struggle since the turn of the year. Nemanja Matic has also suffered a recent loss of form mainly due to fatigue derived from his accumulated number of games without rest and this, as well as Mourinho’s relative lack of trust in his back-up options like Mikel and Ake, makes bringing Khedira in a relative necessity.
Chelsea have been linked with a sensational big money swoop for Juventus’ Paul Pogba in recent weeks and are rumoured to have held talks with the French international’s agent Mino Raiola. But Chelsea have baulked on the expected financial layout, rumoured to be over 60 million pounds, which may even become much higher due to the reported interest from Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and several other top sides in Europe that could spark a bidding war.
Andre Gomes, the 21-year old Portuguese midfielder currently plying his trade in Spain for Valencia, is also rumoured to be a top target for Chelsea, but again his reported 36 million pounds buyout clause could prove to be a huge stumbling block.
Signing a seasoned German international who is basically in the prime of his career for nothing should be a no-brainer
Chelsea’s interest in all these players indicates that Mourinho considers the signing of a central midfielder as a top priority for next season, and considering the fact that most of the club’s top targets are quite expensive, signing a seasoned German international who is basically in the prime of his career for nothing should be a no-brainer.
Chelsea FC need to take advantage of Mourinho’s close relationship with him and get him to sign for the club once his contract expires in June. His expected 100,000 pounds salary should not prove a stumbling block as it is well within the club’s wage policy.
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