Regardless of how the English Premier League
finishes, it is obvious that Chelsea needs help going into next season.
While the club was productive for most of the
year, it had an early exit in the Champions League and is far behind Manchester
United at the top of the standings. This group has high expectations, and the
2012-13 season did not live up to that.
As a result, the squad is looking into making
some changes that will help it improve for the future.
The first major one is the potential acquisition
of manager Jose Mourinho. According to Dave Kidd of Mirror Football, this
reunion appears very likely:
Roman
Abramovich has arranged to meet Jose Mourinho this week to discuss a possible
return to Chelsea.
It is
believed that the talks, scheduled to take place in the Mediterranean aboard
the Chelsea owner’s £300million super-yacht Eclipse, would be the first
face-to-face meeting between the pair to thrash out a return for Mourinho.
If the current Real Madrid boss decides to return
to England, he is likely to bring along at least one talented player to join
the roster.
Pete Jenson of The Independent reports that Xabi
Alonso is likely to join his manager on the trip:
Chelsea
could land Jose Mourinho on the cheap this summer and get the former Liverpool
midfielder Xabi Alonso into the bargain if the Real Madrid coach goes back to
Stamford Bridge.
Alonso
is out of contract at the end of next season and has still not responded to
Real Madrid's offer of a two-year extension. The 31-year-old has become one of
Mourinho's biggest allies at the Bernabeu while other Spain internationals have
fallen out with the Portuguese coach.
If this does happen, it would be the perfect
addition for Chelsea.
Alonso will bring in veteran leadership and
experience to a club that can be inconsistent at times. We have seen throughout
the year that the club is capable of beating great opponents and then loses to
inferior clubs in the same week.
The great goal differential in the league season
shows the squad's talent, but the lack of composure has cost it valuable
points. Frank Lampard will not be around forever, and there needs to be someone
else who can come in and be a leader.
After years of great play with Liverpool, Real
Madrid and the Spanish national team, Alonso knows what it takes to win. His
success should carry over to his new squad.
Of course, the 31-year-old midfielder can still
contribute as a player. He is great defensively and has excellent control of
the game to be able to either push the pace or maintain possession if it is
needed.
While he has never been a great goalscorer, his
skill as a passer should make everyone on the squad better, which will lead to
more scores from the forwards.
Chelsea already has great players in the middle
of the pitch, but Alonso has the ability to help on both ends as much or more
than anyone currently on the roster.
Additionally, Alonso's apparent willingness to
come on board should allow Chelsea to acquire him relatively cheaply. It would
not be surprising if the transfer process went quickly as Real Madrid simply
looks to get rid of the Mourinho ally.
This could allow the club to use its budget to
get even more talented players to help for next season, like striker Radamel
Falcao.
Chelsea is always looking to be the best squad in
the EPL as well as the rest of Europe. Grabbing a talented player like Alonso
would be a great first step toward returning to this level after a mediocre
season.
