4. Daniele De Rossi (Roma)
With Mourinho seemingly willing to let long-serving Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel leave the club this summer, a new defensive midfielder seemed high on his agenda as well. As good as Mikel is at his job of protecting the back four, his limited ability going forward seems to have led the Chelsea manager to think he could bring more of an all-rounder in, with Roma’s Daniele De Rossi thought to be one of his main targets.
De Rossi has been at Roma for his whole career, and has often been linked with moves away after being one of the stand-out performers in this under-achieving club. The Italian international was also wanted by Manchester United this summer, and looks like he’d be a great fit in most Premier League sides. Chelsea could certainly have benefited from his competitive energy in the middle of the park, as well as the occasional bit of quality going forward. A move in the future may not be out of the question, and perhaps it is only Mikel’s failed move to Galatasaray that meant this transfer was not able to go through.