After Saturday’s lame showing up front at Villa Park, it is now abundantly clear that Chelsea must sign a top-class goal poacher for next season if the west London club are to have any hope whatsoever of sustaining a challenge both at home and abroad, and these are the five front men that Blues head coach Jose Mourinho should be looking to bring to Stamford Bridge this summer …
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Diego Costa (Atletico de Madrid)
The Uefa Europa League holders have been heavily linked with the Brazil-born attacker for some time now as question marks continue to be raise about the player’s future at the Vicente Calderon on the back of yet another prolific season in front of goal by the Atletico striker.
And despite the fact that the newly capped Spain international recently put pen to paper on a new bumper long-term deal that now keeps Costa in the Spanish capital until the summer of 2018, the attacker does have a much-publicised buyout clause in that deal that would enable Mourinho to land his man next season.
Mario Balotelli (AC Milan)
The mercurial Italy international’s days as an AC Milan player appear to now be numbered, with the Rossoneri languishing down in an unfamiliar midtable position in Serie A, and with money short at San Siro and no Uefa Champions League football on offer next season, Balo is set to be offloaded this summer.
And with the skilful marksman understood to be keen on a return to the English Premier League next season, Chelsea could do far worse than taking a chance on a cut-price move for a forward capable of the sublime at times, while if there is one coach capable of getting the best out of Super Mario, than that man is the Special One, with the pait having worked briefly together at Inter Milan between 2008 and 2010.
Robin van Persie (Manchester United)
With the Dutchman currently cutting a distracted and lonely figure up front at Old Trafford, it appears as though the 30-year-old’s brief time with the Red Devils will shortly be coming to an end, especially after his invisible display against arch-rivals Liverpool on Sunday.
However, that does not mean though that Van Persie has suddenly become a bad player overnight, in fact, a change of working environment would more than likely have the desired effect of dragging the attacker out of his current slumber.
And if there were a club and a manager capable of producing such a turnaround in fortunes, than the Blues and Mou are such a pair …
Radamel Falcao (AS Monaco)
It is no real surprise that the always prolific Colombia international and the west Londoners are often mentioned in the same sentence, and despite the striker’s serious knee injury back at the turn of the year, Falcao should still be back playing again by the summer, leaving the path clear therefore for the player to switch to Stamford Bridge next season in what would appear on paper to be a marriage made in heaven.
Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain)
Rumours have been circulating of late that the deadly Uruguay attacker has already grown unhappy with life at the Parc des Princes and having to constantly play second fiddle to the Ligue 1’s charismatic captain and fellow striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and as such has already made up his mind to leave the French capital this summer.
And if that is the case, then Chelsea and Mourinho should move heaven and earth in order to try and lure the 27-year-old to the capital next season, with Cavani as close to a guarantee of goals as there is at present in the world game.