The low-point of the weekend’s journalism had to be an article that appeared in the Sunday Mirror, regarding three potential Chelsea signings. The article ‘revealed’ that Chelsea were chasing the signature of three players, all of whom had made a recent and significant commitment to their club.
The first player was Newcastle United striker Andy Carroll, who signed a five-year contract with his club just two months ago. The likelihood of Newcastle letting Carroll go, when he has all the hallmarks of being a great striker, has to be close to zero.
The next on the list was Bayern Munich’s Bastian Schweinsteiger. However, Schweinsteiger signed a new four-year contract with his club just a week ago and made his commitment to the team clear by releasing a statement to the press (a snippet – “LONG LIVE BAYERN!”). After months of being tracked by Manchester United, Bastian finally decided to stay put in Germany. Would Chelsea really be so arrogant as to assume that they can all of a sudden declare their interest and change his mind?
The third and final player mentioned was the Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder who is under contract at Inter Milan until 2015. With Rafa Benitez looking to build something big at Milan, why would he agree to sell one of their best players?
If Chelsea are looking to bring players in this January, I’m sure none of the names mentioned above will be on their list of targets. I think the most obvious void to be found in Chelsea’s squad at the moment is the lack of goal-hungry strikers. As such, they’d do well to keep tracks on Karim Benzema’s situation at Real Madrid. Benzema has been pushed out by Mourinho and will no doubt be keen to find himself a team who can provide him with first team football. Most importantly, Chelsea have the funds to make Real Madrid a tempting offer.
Chelsea might also be able to tempt Atletico Madrid’s striker Sergio Aguero to join the Premier League. Aguero was thought to be very close to joining the Blues last season, but asked for higher wages than Chelsea were willing to play. Now that Chelsea are lacking in goals up front, they might be tempted to splash out on Sergio, who is hardworking, strong, pacey and technically gifted.
My final realistic recommendation for Chelsea is Romelu Lukaku. Belgian champion’s Anderlecht have already slapped a £16.7 million price tag on the young striker, but Chelsea have the funds to afford the prodigious youngster. They may have to fight off competition from the likes of Real Madrid and Inter Milan, but it’s clear that Lukaku is too good to stay at Anderlecht for much longer. Lukaku has scored 22 goals in 48 appearances for the Belgian side, and he isn’t even 18-years-old yet. With both Drogba and Anelka gaining in years, Lukaku could be the perfect tonic for Chelsea’s aging legs.
Are there any realistic signings you’d like to see Chelsea go after this January? Leave your suggestions in the comments section and remember to follow @ThePerfectPass on Twitter for more footballing thoughts and discussion.
