Chelsea FC’s Biggest Loss, Andre Schurrle
By Lee Fraser
Today is Andre Schurrle’s 25th birthday, so here at The Pride Of London we wanted to wish him a very happy birthday, have a look at his time with Chelsea FC and share some fans thoughts on our 2nd favourite German player.
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A quick look at Andre’s stats for Chelsea FC doesn’t do him justice but in the interests of factual reporting here it goes:
Andre Schurrle, born 6th November 1990, joined Chelsea FC from Bayer 04 Leverkusen on the 1st July 2013 for a fee of £15.4 million.
In his only full season for the Blues he made 43 appearances (20 as a substitute) scoring nine goals and recording three assists.
In his 2nd season until his transfer he made 22 appearances (10 as a substitute) scoring five goals and recording zero assists.
He was deemed surplus to requirements by Chelsea and on 2nd February 2015 he returned home to Germany and VfL Wolfsburg for a fee of £22.4 million, a profit of £7 million.
(Transfer stats and performance data supplied by transfermarkt.co.uk )
The stats therefore aren’t that impressive. They’re ok, but 65 appearances, 14 goals and three assists as an attacking winger don’t suggest a reason as to why the Chelsea FC fans still hold him in such high regard.
Look beyond the stats however and it does give an insight as to why.
Andre was Jose Mourinho’s first official signing upon The Special One’s return. There was a massive wave of euphoria surrounding Chelsea FC at the time and Andre Schurrle was catapulted into the limelight as a result. He helped the cause when signing by saying:
“It is an honour for me to play for this club, with this team and for these great fans,”
Andre Schurrle epitomised the new found optimism both on and off the pitch with his direct running style of wing play and his willingness to shoot on sight. He was also active with his active social media accounts where he was always praising up the club and fans. It’s no wonder he became so loved in such a short period of time.
Even at his unveiling press conference with VfL Wolfsburg, Andre was still singing the praises of the Blues and Jose Mourinho!
The question then remains, why?
Why was he transferred?
Did he fall out of love with Chelsea FC?
Did he fall out of favour with Jose Mourinho?
The video above says no.
A good friend of mine (and a reliable source!) @allifradgley directed me to an excellent piece on this quandary by SBNation in which they reported on a piece by SportBild where Andre revealed details of a muscle problem he had been suffering with for some time.
With the aid of Google translate this is what Andre revealed:
“I have a deformity, which affects my muscles. With the consequence that they harden more easily. My muscles in the buttocks and thigh area have repeatedly blocked, which was partly due to a vertebral problem in the back. By hardening I could certain movements no longer perform without pain and no longer sprint properly. “
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Were Chelsea FC aware of this medical condition and decided to cash in before it became too problematic? It definitely sounds plausible.
Personally I prefer to think this is the real reason for Andre leaving, and not because it was deemed that he wasn’t a Jose man and couldn’t track back!
Whatever the real reason was, Chelsea FC fans on Twitter never forget Andre and there’s always tweets of support and best wishes for our ex-blue.
Next: Jose Mourinho: Chelsea FC Have To Be Very Proud Of The Fans
Twitter user and video producer of all things Chelsea FC @Feroze17 summed up our feelings for Andre Schurrle with the above tribute video and I can think of no better way of saying:
All das beste zum Geburtstag Andre.