Targets that should be very high up on Jose Mourinho’s wish-list.
Jose Mourinho has returned to Chelsea on a wave of optimism from fans of the Blues with many believing that the Portuguese coaches return can bring the Premier League title back to Stamford Bridge. However, this Chelsea team is very different from the one he left in 2007 and Mourinho will have to buy some quality players this summer to make optimism become reality. Here are five signings that can help Chelsea win the Premier League title next season.
Eliaquim Mangala- FC Porto
The Porto defender is one of the most promising young centre backs in Europe at the moment and had been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United during the course of last season. However, it seems that Chelsea have caught the Red Devils napping and have moved into poll position to sign 22 year old. Chelsea may have to pay around £15 million for the young centre back but that could be a small price to pay for a player who could turn into one of the world’s best defenders.
All of Jose Mourinho’s teams have been built around a strong, formidable central defensive partnership and during his last spell at Chelsea, John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho formed one of the best central defensive partnerships in Premier League history, becoming almost unbeatable during the Blues back to back Premier League title victories. Mourinho likes to keep things tight at the back and sees that as one of the most important ingredients for sustained success. A lot has changed since Mourinho left in 2007 and one is Chelsea’s defence, which is not as strong as it once was. Mourinho brought Ricardo Cavalho to Real Madrid, meaning he is not at Stamford Bridge and John Terry is not the defender that he once was.
Terry is no longer the towering figure at the heart of Chelsea’s defence that he used to be and spent large chunks of last season on the bench or on the injury list. Mourinho has said that he wants to restore Terry to the first team and has said that the former England man will still be his captain but the Portuguese coach knows that Terry won’t be around for long. That is why he has stepped up his interest in Mangala. The Porto defender is strong but mobile and could compliment Terry well if they were to form a central defensive partnership together. However, Manchester United still remain interested in Mangala so Chelsea will need to move quickly if they are going to get their man.
Daniele De Rossi- AS Roma
Jose Mourinho is known to be a huge fan of De Rossi and has tried to sign the central midfielder twice before but on both occasions the Italian midfielder decided to stay with Roma. De Rossi has been at Roma for all of his career and feels a huge connection with his boyhood club, hence his reluctance to leave them for a new club. He is also one of the highest paid players in Serie A, earning an estimated £5.5 million after tax. However, De Rossi’s time at Roma could be coming to an end.
The Italian midfielder had a difficult season with the club last term and had a huge falling out with his old manager which led to him being placed on the bench. This was a highly unusual position for De Rossi, who is used to being right at the heart of the Italian clubs midfield. His poor season at Roma has led to speculation that he may finally leave the Italian capital and ply his trade elsewhere. It looks like Chelsea is one of his more preferred destinations and Jose Mourinho would love to have the Italian midfielder at Stamford Bridge. The Portuguese manager is looking for a solid defensive midfielder that he can build his new-look Chelsea team around and there aren’t many better than De Rossi.
Chelsea have missed figures like Claude Makelele and a fully fit Michael Essien at the heart of their midfield but De Rossi would act as an excellent replacement for those two important players. De Rossi is known to admire the Premier League and has spoken of his hope that he can one day play in England’s top flight. He is also an admirer of Mourinho and would like the opportunity to play under the Portuguese coach. De Rossi was close to leaving Roma last season for Manchester City but instead chose to stay with his boy hood club but it seems that this summer he may make the move from Italy to England.
Hulk- Zenit St Petersburg
The Brazilian striker has been one of the top front men in Europe for sometime now and was one of the most wanted players during last summers transfer window. To the surprise of many, Hulk didn’t make a move to one of Europe’s top clubs, instead choosing to sign for Russian club Zenit St Petersburg for a reported £35 million. However, reports suggest that Hulk hasn’t enjoyed his time in Russia and is looking to leave Zenit this summer. The Brazilian wishes to ply his trade for one of European football’s top teams and Chelsea are known to be interested in the strong striker. Jose Mourinho’s last spell at Chelsea was formed by a sprine of Petr Cech, John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba.
One of the most important parts of that spine is no longer at the club in Didier Drogba. The Ivorian was a huge physical presence up front, almost a battering ram. Fast, skilful wingers would provide Drogba with crosses that he would blast into the net and having someone strong in the strikers role is a key part of a Mourinho team. With Drogba gone, another striker will have to be brought in to fulfil that role and it looks like Mourinho has identified Hulk as that man. The Brazilian striker is certainly interested in a move to Stamford Bridge and has already claimed that his representatives have held talks with Chelsea over a possible move.
The one stumbling block could be Zenit, who are said to be demanding close to £50 million for the striker. The Russian club want to make a profit on a player that they only signed last summer and are playing hard ball over the strikers asking price at the moment. It is unlikely that Chelsea will be prepared to pay close to £50 million for Hulk so they will have to try and persuade the Russian club to lower their asking price so that a deal can be done.
Wayne Rooney- Manchester United
The Rooney transfer saga is currently dominating the back pages of most newspapers, with new revelations about the strikers future being revealed everyday. Rooney is unsettled at United at the moment following a falling out between himself and former manager Sir Alex Ferguson. The Scot left Rooney out of one of United’s most important games of last season, the Champions League second round tie against Real Madrid. Ferguson then told the media that Rooney had handed in a transfer request at the end of the season and the striker was left out of United’s squad for the final few games of the season. Rooney denies that he asked Ferguson for a move and instead told the Scot that he wanted more game time, having been substituted many times over the course of the season.
The falling out between player and former manager will have to be sorted out by new manager David Moyes, the man who gave Rooney his senior debut when the pair were at Everton together. Moyes has said that he wants to keep Rooney at Old Trafford and some reports have suggested that Rooney would prefer to stay at the club due to him having a young family settled in the Manchester area. However, Rooney won’t sign a new contract at the club unless United agree to offer him similar terms to what is already on his contract. Rooney’s current deal runs out in 2015, meaning if United were to sell it would have to be this season so that they could maximise profit. If Rooney does leave, Chelsea is one of his possible destinations and Jose Mourinho would be more than happy to accommodate the Englishman in his Chelsea team.
The striker could be available for around £25 million, which is well within the Blues price range. However, United won’t want to sell Rooney to one of their Premier League rivals and would probably offer the striker to clubs in Europe before even considering an offer from Chelsea. If United do have to do business with a Premier League rival, they would probably rather talk to Arsenal, who they see as less of a threat than Chelsea. Arsenal are known to be monitoring the situation involving Rooney so the Blues may have to offer United more money if they really do want to bring the striker to Stamford Bridge.
Edinson Cavani- Napoli
The Uruguay striker is definitely one of the most wanted men in Europe at the moment and he has been Chelsea’s top transfer target for most of the summer. Mourinho is on the look out for a prolific goal scorer to help Chelsea reach the summit of the Premier League table and their aren’t many better than Cavani, who was top goal scorer in Serie A last season and has a fierce reputation as a goal getter.
Mourinho would love to add Cavani to his first team and the strikers signature would probably make Chelsea favourites for the title even at this early stage. Cavani to seems interested in a move to Stamford Bridge, stating that he would like the opportunity to play under Mourinho. However, that could be easier said than done. Napoli are desperate to keep Cavani in Italy and new manager Rafa Benitez sees the Uruguayan as a key part of his team going forward.
The Italian club won’t let Cavani go for less than his £53 million buy out clause and although Chelsea have made a formal approach for the striker, they are unwilling to pay £53 million for Cavani. Chelsea have to be aware of UEFA’s financial fair play scheme and cannot spend more than they earn, meaning spending that much money on one player at the moment seems to be out of the question. Worse still for the Blues is that it seems that Paris St Germain have raced to the front of the cue to sign the striker and are willing to pay Cavani’s buy-out clause, according to reports. The French club have the money and the ambition to offer the striker huge wages which may well turn his head. However, there is still hope for Chelsea in their pursuit of Cavani.
The striker is thought to be sceptical about moving to France and would much rather move to a team playing in England or Spain. Should Chelsea mange to negotiate a deal with Napoli, Cavani is likely to chose the Blues over PSG. However, the striker ultimate ambition is to play for Real Madrid and although the Spanish giants aren’t saying much about Cavani they could become interested if their pursuit of Luis Suarez fails. For Chelsea, signing Cavani would be a huge coup and bringing in a quality striker is a must for Jose Mourinho this summer.