When considering transfer targets for any club, several factors come into play, like the number of competitions to be played, profile of the club, expiring contracts, playing style, players to be sold etc. With the season coming to an end, there have been a lot of speculation surrounding expected transfers to and from Chelsea FC, ranging from the “absolutely ludicrous” to the “not so silly”.
But whatever the case may be, Chelsea do need to make a few additions to complement the efforts of the title-winning squad and to also help the club push on in its quest to secure Mourinho’s first Champions League title with the club.
With the team currently short in certain areas, like in attack due to the exit of Didier Drogba and the injury problems suffered by Costa and Remy, attacking midfield with Juan Cuadrado (who is rumoured to be going back to Italy on loan) being the only reliable back-up option and in goal with Cech almost certain to leave, I have taken stock and come up with a list of the most credible transfer targets for the club.
NOTE: The names on this list largely represent my personal preference from the hundreds (it seems like hundreds to me!) currently being pushed forward by the press.
Next: Ramadel Falcao
Radamel Falcao García Zárate
It was pretty heartbreaking for me watching Falcao struggle through games at Manchester United, especially when I remember the show he put up in Atletico Madrid’s 4-1 thrashing of Chelsea FC in the 2012 UEFA Super Cup at the stadium he would eventually call home. Was this the same guy that scored 3 sublime goals in that game?
The 29-year old Colombian international has been one of the most prolific goal-scorers to grace the shores of Europe since he signed for FC Porto in 2009. Despite not being all that tall for a striker at 5’10”, he is the complete package… good in the air and with both feet!
His goal-scoring statistics, when taken into context, would seem surreal if not for the exploits of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo… 72 goals in 87 games at FC Porto and 70 goals in 91 games at Atletico Madrid. He also scored 11 goals in 19 games at Monaco before the unfortunate ankle injury he sustained in a Coupe de France game against Monts d’Or Azergues Foot in January which effectively ruled him out for the rest of that season, as well as the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
With his recovery in July, he scored a further 2 goals in 3 games before he was secured on loan by Manchester United on transfer deadline day for 6 million pounds with the option of a permanent transfer and was placed on a massive 265,000 pounds weekly salary. His time at Old Trafford could be filed under “expensive disaster” as he could only manage 4 goals and 4 assists in his 29 games at the club.
But it wasn’t just his goals that dried up, as he was clearly suffering from the crisis of confidence Andre Villas-Boas had alluded to in his time at FC Porto during a barren spell in 2010-2011 season. He found it difficult to hold up play and even his predatory finishing deserted him, a situation that caused Louis Van Gaal to lose faith in him and drop him on the bench.
Despite his struggles at Man Utd, his goal-scoring form for the Colombian national team has largely remained intact, as he only recently broke the Colombian goal-scoring record in a friendly game against Costa Rica, scoring his 25th goal in 57 games, his 5th goal in 5 games in 2015 for Colombia. This clearly indicates that he still has what it takes to be an important signing for the right club and with Mourinho’s track record with strikers of his ilk, like Diego Milito, Samuel Eto’o, Benni McCarthy and more recently Diego Costa, Chelsea might just be that club!
While many would look at the Fernando Torres situation and worry that Falcao may turn out to be another expensive flop, he has indicated a willingness to take a massive wage drop to remain in England, with the terms of his signing being the major bone of contention as Chelsea want him on loan while Monaco are reportedly holding out for a 36 million pounds outright purchase.
Next: Christian Benteke
Christian Benteke Liolo
If not Falcao, then why not the 24-year old Belgian man-mountain? At 6’3″ and with his massive frame, he also possesses the ideal skill sets required by Jose Mourinho… good in the air, great at holding up the ball and bullying opposing defenders as well as possessing a powerful right foot, with a knack for scoring spectacular goals. He also has the added advantage of being quite skillful on the ball, despite his large frame.
Since signing for Aston Villa from Standard Liege in 2012 as a 22-year-old, Benteke has scored an impressive 49 goals in 99 games, acclimatizing with relative ease to the pace and physicality of the English Premier League. After a stellar first season where he scored 23 goals in 39 games in all competitions, he struggled for form in the 2013-2014 season (which generally reflected the struggles of the team as well), scoring just 11 goals in 28 games in a season largely hindered by injuries and fitness issues that culminated in a rupture of his achilles tendon during a training session in April 2014 which effectively ruled him out for 6 months, and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
His return saw him resume his goal-scoring form, hitting 5 in his first 5 games, but a barren spell, both for him and Aston Villa, that lasted over 16 games for club and country, saw him struggle for goals. With the sacking of Paul Lambert and appointment of Tim Sherwood however, he recovered his goal-scoring touch, hitting 10 goals in 11 games to end the season on a high.
The major stumbling block though is the 32 million pounds buy-out clause included in the 4-year contract he signed in 2013, which Aston Villa insist must be met to secure his signing. And while spending such an amount on a striker who will effectively be a back-up to Diego Costa does not make sound financial sense, getting a player of his calibre could be seen as a reasonable gamble that may provide great future dividends.
Next: Antoine Griezmann
Antoine Griezmann
Despite being a Frenchman, the 24-year old’s career actually took off in Spain with Real Sociedad in 2005, although he had to wait another 4 years to get his debut for the club in the Liga Adelante (Spanish Segunda Division) in 2009. He became a first team regular from that point on and finally got the world to take notice when he scored an impressive 20 goals in 49 games in the 2013-2014 season while playing from the left flank, with his 16 La Liga goals helping Real Sociedad to qualify for the UEFA Champions League for only the second time in the club’s history.
His performances during the course of the season earned him his first France national team call-up in February 2014 and he was eventually named in Didier Deschamps’ 23-man France squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup where he made 5 appearances.
He was then signed by Atletico Madrid for a reported 24 million pounds in July 2014 and has enjoyed an impressive debut season at Atletico Madrid, scoring 22 goals in 37 league appearances. But unlike in his last 2 seasons at Real Sociedad, he achieved this while playing predominately as a centre forward.
Blessed with searing pace and dribbling ability, his preferred attacking style is cutting in from the left flank, although he is listed as being strong with headers and retaining possession, according to Whoscored. He has also shown a massive improvement in his finishing with a 32.8% chance conversion rate (Chelsea’s Diego Costa had 34.5%), which may have prompted Diego Simeone to play him in attack ahead of Mario Madzukic.
But since he will be expected to play in attacking midfield, his 22 chances created is just over half the number created by Diego Costa (who created 41 chances) and would put him behind 7 Chelsea players in terms of creativity, which is a very poor return. He also isn’t known for his work rate and defensive input, an attribute demanded by Mourinho of his players and he would also have the problem of competing with Chelsea’s Player of the Year, Eden Hazard, for his preferred left-wing position.
His 43 million pounds buy-out clause could also be another factor that could scupper any move for his signature, although his decision to appoint super agent Jorge Mendes (who also manages Jose Mourinho and Diego Costa) to act in an advisory capacity could help boost Chelsea’s chances.
Next: Paul Pogba
Paul Labile Pogba
Sir Alex Ferguson was probably the most astute manager to grace the English Premier League, as his multitude of titles and personal awards with Manchester United would attest to. But even he was prone to his own share of transfer gaffes, the biggest of which was his decision to allow Paul Pogba leave to join Juventus for free! What makes his decision even more bizarre is the fact that one of the players he pushed forward ahead of Pogba, Tom Cleverly, is no longer considered to be good enough for Man Utd.
Pogba only managed 7 substitute appearances for Man Utd before signing with Juventus for free in July 2012 (but they had to pay a compensation fee of 800,000 pounds), with Ferguson claiming that Pogba didn’t show Manchester United any respect. Since joining Juventus, he has grown to become an integral part of the team, as his signing coincided with Juventus’ dominance in Italian football, with the club winning back-to-back League titles in his 3 years at the club.
He has so far made 129 appearances for Juventus, scoring 24 goals, and was even a key part of the French squad that participated in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, despite only making his debut in March 2013. He was also named the tournament’s best young player.
Equally as comfortable threading defense-splitting passes and making driving runs past players as he is at executing tackles, interceptions and winning headers as well as being a goal-scoring threat from long-range, he is probably the most complete player to grace the game since Patrick Vieira (who also had a spell at Juventus), with the French legend himself stating that the youngster could surpass him in terms of potential, which is not a far-fetched assumption considering the fact that Pogba is still only 22 years old!
Currently valued at over 50 million pounds according to Transfermarkt, the fact that he is garnering serious interest from top European club sides (like Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG etc) could push his transfer fee even higher. This could force Chelsea to look elsewhere for more cheaper but equally good options.
Next: Chelsea FC Value Thibaut Courtois At £73 Million