A look at some of Chelsea’s other targets that could have strengthened their squad this season.
Chelsea, as expected, made some big investments this summer after the return to Stamford Bridge of the legendary Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese coach spent over £60m on new players, including some big names in Willian from Anzhi Makhachkala and Andre Schurrle from Bayer Leverkusen.
Still, Mourinho was known to have some other high-profile targets in other areas of his squad, which he arguably could have done with more. A new midfielder and a new striker in particular were said to be high on his agenda, and here is a list of five players linked with the club over the summer that the Blues’ money may have been better spent on.
5. Eliaquim Mangala (Porto)
An exceptionally talented young defender, Porto’s Eliaquim Mangala was said to be a top target for Mourinho for some time, particularly when David Luiz’s future was up in the air regarding strong interest from Barcelona. Still, with John Terry not getting any younger and being in and out of the side due to lack of fitness and form over the last few years, a new and young centre-back of this calibre could have been very useful to Chelsea this season.
Mangala would no doubt have been expensive, with a rumoured release clause of around £40m, and a host of other clubs also chasing him, but with the money at Chelsea’s disposal, it looks like it would have been well spent on this 22-year-old French international, who will no doubt continue to improve and attract further interest in the near future, most notably from fellow Premier League big-spenders Manchester City.
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.
3. Sami Khedira (Real Madrid)
Another candidate for improving Chelsea’s midfield was a player Mourinho knows well from his time at Real Madrid, German international anchor-man Sami Khedira. The 26-year-old seemed likely to leave the Bernabeu this summer, attracting interest from French giants PSG as well as Chelsea, and would probably have welcomed the chance to work with Mourinho again at Stamford Bridge.
Like De Rossi, Khedira is primarily a defensive midfield player, but is also more than capable of being a good box-to-box player, as he showed with a decent return of four goals and five assists for Real last term. In the end, it is unclear why his move to Chelsea could not go through, and he now claims he is happy to have stayed at the Bernabeu.
2. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
It was no secret that Chelsea were highly keen to make Wayne Rooney their main target this summer, as they showed a strong interest in the England international as soon as it was rumoured that he’d submitted a transfer request at Manchester United at the end of last season.
Frustrated with playing out of position so often at Old Trafford, a move elsewhere could have been just what Rooney needed to kick-start his career again, and there’s no doubt he would have been first-choice upfront at Stamford Bridge given Chelsea’s problems with misfiring pair Fernando Torres and Demba Ba. Various differing rumours suggest Chelsea may have been willing to go as high as £40m to land Rooney from their rivals, who were understandably keen not to see him go to another Premier League team. When Mourinho finally called on Rooney to submit a formal transfer request to the Red Devils, he declined to follow his advice, and appears to have committed his future to the club.
Still yet to sign a new contract, this saga may not quite be over, and there’s no doubt a revitalised Rooney could be a great signing for Chelsea at the moment, who instead turned to veteran Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o as a backup. While Eto’o has no doubt been one of the best players of his generation, he is not at his peak like Rooney, and will only be a short-term option for the Blues.
1. Radamel Falcao (Monaco)
Perhaps an even better option than Rooney would have been Radamel Falcao. Supposedly Chelsea were in for him twice this summer; first, when he was at Atletico Madrid and had a whole host of Europe’s top clubs queuing up to sign him, and secondly when rumours of tax complications arose at his new club Monaco and he seemed set to move for the second time this summer.
Unfortunately, Chelsea have missed out on one of the finest strikers in the game at the moment, as he looks to continue at the big-spending Ligue 1 side, who made him one of many big-name signings in this summer’s transfer window. It is certainly a shame to see one of the biggest talents in the world not playing in the biggest league in the world, and there’s no doubt he would have been the perfect solution to Chelsea’s problems upfront, even if his price tag of over £50m might seem a bit steep – and a big risk after what happened to Chelsea the last time they spent that kind of money on a ‘world class’ striker.