Five reasons for Blues fans to be worried about retaining their title, featuring Cech and Falcao.
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Chelsea transfer gossip
With Chelsea selling Petr Cech to Arsenal and loaning Radamel Falcao this week (the latter confirmed on Chelsea’s official site today), here’s a look at how these deals and other potential transfer slip-ups could cost the club a chance at retaining their title next season.
1) Cech’s sale
Although Thibaut Courtois was excellent as Chelsea’s number one last season, the confirmed sale of Petr Cech to rivals Arsenal should concern the club’s supporters. While the Belgian shot-stopper is a great prospect, he remains something of an unknown quantity at this level, and the option of an experienced head like Cech as a backup will have made life a lot easier for Jose Mourinho last season. A new backup is surely needed at Chelsea, especially as they are just one Courtois injury away from a full-blown crisis in that position, but who are the available ‘keepers who could be as good as Cech but join on the cheap and settle for a place on the bench?
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2) Reliance on Costa
Making just 26 Premier League appearances last season, it’s clear that Diego Costa has a slightly worrying injury record – and in fairness, these things tend to get worse, not better, with age. The Spanish international is undoubtedly a world class striker, scoring 20 times in those 26 games to show how prolific he is at his best, but it may be unwise to rely on the 26-year-old as a permanent first choice in that role, particularly as backup forward Loic Remy has also found it hard to stay fit during his first season at Stamford Bridge.
3) Falcao loan
However you look at this, this move does not make sense. Based on last season’s awful form on loan at Manchester United, Radamel Falcao is well past his peak after a bad injury cut short his first season at AS Monaco the year before, scoring just four goals and looking badly off the pace in the Premier League. If expected to be first choice, then Falcao simply isn’t good enough and the club must aim higher, but even if only brought in as a backup, the Colombian’s arrival does not solve the issue mentioned on the previous page – how do Chelsea cope when Costa misses large chunks of the season through injury?
4) Fabregas decline
After a blistering start at Chelsea last season, it’s fair to say Cesc Fabregas’ form tailed off in the second half of the campaign. This continues a worrying trend that was seen during his time at Barcelona, and follows on from some injury-hit seasons with Arsenal towards the end of his time at the club. Quite simply, with the Spaniard starting his career so young, he has now played so much it is little surprise to see him coming towards the end of his career at a relatively young age. Elsewhere in the squad, there isn’t really another player who can provide that same ammunition as Fabregas in terms of creativity and assists from deep, and that is another issue that Mourinho needs to address.
5) Cuadrado issue
As Willian only scored four goals last season, it’s easy to see why Chelsea felt the need to sign Juan Cuadrado from Fiorentina in January. The Colombian international earned a reputation in Serie A as a skillful wide-player with an eye for goal and assists, but for whatever reason he has not sufficiently impressed Mourinho so far to earn a place in the side. Perhaps not suited to the English game, Cuadrado is now being linked with an exit this summer (to Inter Milan, according to talkSPORT) and that leaves the Blues with another issue to solve in the transfer market. Apart from Eden Hazard (14) and Costa (20), no one else in the Chelsea squad managed double figures in goals last season, with Oscar the next highest midfielder on six.
Conclusion:
Retaining titles is rare enough anyway – Chelsea being the only team other than Manchester United to do so in the Premier League era – and it just doesn’t look at the moment like this squad is improving enough to come out on top again next year, when players like Costa and Fabregas will be less of an unknown quantity for Premier League defences. Elsewhere, Arsenal have improved significantly with the signing of Cech from their rivals, and Manchester United have added more attacking quality in Memphis Depay, precisely a position where Chelsea increasingly look like they could fall short. Despite a convincing win in 2014/15, teams around them have improved and it looks like being a much harder task for the Blues in 2015/16.