Do Chelsea Really Need a New Striker?

Torres will lead the Chelsea strike force from next season....

Here’s something to ponder about: should we or shouldn’t we sign a new striker? All eyes from fans to rivals to haters will be on Chelsea. And thank god it’s for the right reasons; we’re the reigning European Champions, we signed two amazing talented wingers, with one being a hot property all Europe elites tried to get their hands on (who could forget all the rubbish talk other team's supporters said after Hazard sign for Chelsea?), and finally, Roman is showing he means business this time around by trying to sign other talented and gifted players to perfect the club.

We have signed Hazard and Marin, two very talented wingers, which Chelsea desperately need as last season saw us possess our most least attacking team we’ve ever seen under Roman. As everyone believes, with Di Matteo signed as permanent manager, we will be playing under the classic 4-2-3-1 formation. We have the defense and midfield pretty much covered with a signing in the right back position to perfect our defense. The attacking half of midfield is also covered as we have players who can fit in these positions; but as many believe (and if I might add, so do I) we need one more signing to fill the right wing position, and if I might add again, I strongly believe Hulk will be a perfect addition for us.

Back to the point, the one position that caught my eye is the striker. Yes we have three players who can play there, but with the loss of king Didier, only one of the three is on par to the Drog. Fernando Torres. The Chelsea hierarchy has stated that he's in the club's long term plans and will lead the attacking line up as well,which in my opinion is great news. Torres hasn't been at his very best since he joined us from Mersyside, but since RDM  took charge, Torres has shown us the flashes of his old form and also that he can destroy defenses at will even today. Fact is, Torres was Chelsea's top scorer in the Premier league under Roberto Di Matteo on par with Drogba, both scored 4 goals each. Another fact is that Torres topped the assist chart with 6 one above fellow team mate and Spain international, Mata.  But then again, is Fernando enough? We will be competing in more competitions than we did in previous seasons, adding the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Club. So that means we’ll need other quality strikers to either replace Torres for rotation and to add more depth in our squad. But before that let’s take a look at the other strikers we currently have.

Romelu Lukaku

Lukaku has great potential and is gifted but that lad requitres playing time...

When bought from Anderlecht in 2011, Lukaku was dubbed the new Drogba. He scored 33 goals in his 73 appearances in 3 years with Anderlecht. Physic wise, he does resemble a young Drogba, whose main attribute was his sheer power, pace, technical abilities and goal scoring instinct. So far Lukaku has shown he got the power and pace, but still lack technical abilities and his scoring instinct. I’d blame that on the fact that he is still very young and lacks experience, whilst Drogba came to Chelsea when he was 26. So what’s the best way to quickly polish this young talent? My answer would be to loan him either to Ligue 1 or Bundesliga or any English club for a season or two. Let’s be honest, I personally don’t see Di Matteo giving him the nod to play anytime soon. It’d be great if he's loaned.

Daniel Sturridge

Sturridge is a great talent with great dribbling ability and great pace. I doubt anyone would argue with that. But after Di Matteo started taking charge at the Bridge, Sturridge began to fade. He lost his starting position and was benched most of the times. Why is that? Because Di Matteo makes his players play as one, as a team. Whilst Sturridge has the tendency to shoot at will even with a teammate in a better position to shoot. One might argue that Sturridge is the answer to provide back up for Torres as our main striker, and yes I also think he’s got the ability and talent to do so. But the question remains, is Sturridge enough to back up Torres? In my opinion, yes he is. We could see that the only problem Sturridge had last season was his willingness to pass, besides that, I see a formidable striker in the making. Well there have been rumors that Danny could leave Chelsea but nothing concrete has been reported yet but still you never know.

So anyways, basically in my opinion, in the mean time we don’t need to sign a new striker as some have suggested.  We might as well focus on signing Hulk and a new right back. Hulk himself can also play as a striker so if we do sign him, it'll ease any injury or suspension problems we face later on. Torres and Sturridge are great strikers any club could have. With Lukaku seemingly getting a loan, the two will be our main strikers and with the three attacking midfielders behind them, we’d be a great attacking force.

What do you guys think? Please do comment, we love to hear from you guys....

Till then, Keep the Blue Flag Flying High!

#HWCFC(CFC360)

Chelsea Looking In For Sturridge-Walcott Swap due to RVP?

CFC and Arsenal set for a potential exchange move?

Reports this evening from Crunchsports and Mirror suggset that our number 23 Daniel Sturridge could be on his way to Emirates if Van Persie quits. Van Persie isn't looking to sign a long term deal with Arsenal and could be sold if his £30million price tag is met. On the other hand Theo Walcott is not prepared to sign a new long term deal as he feels that Arsenal wouldn't be the team if their tailsmanic striker leaves the club by the end of this transfer season.

Following are the reports-


The man above in red is a big piece in this transfer jigsaw....

- Juventus and Manchester City are on alert as Arsenal are prepared to sell striker Robin van Persie this summer - providing their £30million valuation is met, according to the Sunday Mirror.

- Chelsea and Liverpool are on alert as Arsenal are prepared to let Theo Walcott leave the club this summer after contract talks reached a stalemate, according to the Sunday Mirror.

- And according to The Sun on Sunday, Walcott is refusing to pledge his future to Arsenal until Van Persie commits himself.

- Arsenal and Liverpool are on alert as Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge believes he will be forced to quit the club this summer to revive his England career, according to the Sunday Mirror.

Now this situation makes the reader a bit bewildered. So it all depends on the Dutch man if he quits then Chelsea and Arsenal might look to negotiate for their two players in Danny and Walcott.(Liverpool are somewhere in the mix as well)



Will Danny stay or will he leave the reigning European Champions?

If you want to read how heavily Danny Sturridge is being linked to Arsenal I would request you to read this .

Well this situation remains unresolved for now. But the chances of Van Persie quitting the Gunners aren't very grim as well. Arsenal have already secured Lucas Podolski and are close to signing Olivier Giroud,then they could think of cashing on RVP and if they are able to induce Sturridge  he could yet be on his way to the Emirates stadium.

This is quite a prospect but the Blues have also been linked to Theo Walcott heavily in the past (read here) are continued to be linked even in the present day scenario. Both are extremely talented players and have bright futures.So let's hope for the best I would say. Danny is an asset to us but it seems he has other plans for his future maybe. Anyways let's keep our fingers crossed and watch the action unfold.

Till then KTBFFH as always....

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Players with uncertain futures at Stamford Bridge

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Transfer time is always a busy time at Chelsea FC. Whether we are buying or selling players, one can never say that Chelsea are dormant during the transfer period. This year has been no different, & the club have already purchased Marko Marin & Eden Hazard, while also showing interest in a host of other players. 3 players have also left the club: while Didier Drogba made a decision to not renew his contract that expires this year, striker Salomon Kalou and right-back Jose Bosingwa were released by the club.
However, there are still certain Chelsea players whose future remains uncertain. Will they stay? Will they go?  At the moment, these are questions that have no answers. Nevertheless, let us take a look at 4 Chelsea players who may or may not leave the club soon :-

Florent Malouda

1)Florent Malouda- The French international joined Chelsea in 2007 from French club Olympique Lyonnais for a fee of around £13M. Malouda arrived at the club with a formidable reputation, having impressed at his previous club Lyon. However, the winger had a poor first season at the club, scoring 4 goals & providing 7 assists. He managed to find his feet at Chelsea during the latter half  of the 2008-09 season. In the 2009-10 season, he was an integral part of a Double-winning Chelsea side, with impressive figures of 15 goals & 15 assists. His goal-scoring form continued into the next season, as he found the back of the net 14 times. However, the arrival of Spanish winger Juan Mata in 2011 meant that Malouda's first-team opportunities were limited. A few poor performances didn't help his case either. After the club won the Champions League in May this year, Malouda pledged his loyalty to the club. However, the arrival of Marin & Hazard could very well see the Frenchman leave the club sooner rather than later.

Michael Essien 

2)Michael Essien- When Micheal Essien signed for Chelsea in 2005, it brought an end to one of the longest-running transfer sagas in recent memory. Nicknamed "The Bison" for his his energy & presence on the field, Essien was signed from Olympique Lyonnais for a fee of £24.4M, a club transfer record at the time. The Ghanian international quickly established himself as a regular in Jose Mourinho's Chelsea squad, playing 42 games for the club in his first full season. He has been nominated for the FIFA World Player of the Year Award thrice in his career (2005, 2006, 2007) & won Chelsea's Player of the Year award in 2007, besides winning other individual trophies. Essien has a decent right foot, & has scored quite a few goals with powerful long-range shots (who will ever forget that equaliser he scored against Arsenal!). But numerous injuries and the emergence of talents such as Ramires & Oriol Romeu  at Chelsea have severely limited his game time. In the few games that he did play, he seemed to be a shadow of his former self. I admit it will be disappointing to see him leave, but I won't be shocked if he does.

Daniel Sturridge

3)Daniel Sturridge- Admittedly the surprise inclusion in my list. Daniel Sturridge joined Chelsea in 2009 as a talented young striker from Manchester City. Initially, he showed signs of promise whenever he was given a chance, most notably putting in some impressive performances during the 2009-10 FA Cup campaign in which he scored 4 goals, the most by any player in the tournament. However, limited first-team opportunities during the 2010-11 season saw him agree a loan deal with Bolton Wanderers. The loan spell was a successful one, as he scored 8 times for the club in 12 games. The appointment of new manager Andre Villas-Boas in 2011 meant Sturridge became a regular in the Chelsea starting XI during the season, playing mostly in a wide-right position. However, he earned some criticism for his supposed "selfishness" & happiness to shoot at sight. The fact that he constantly spoke about how he would prefer playing in the striker's position didn't earn him many fans either. A drop in form during the 2nd half of the season led to him being benched a lot under interim boss Roberto Di Matteo. And while it seems highly unlikely that Chelsea would want to sell him, everybody has a price.

Yossi Benayoun 

4) Yossi Benayoun- Probably the one player most likely to part ways with the club this season. Yossi Benayoun joined Chelsea in 2010 from Premier League club Liverpool for a fee of around £5.5 million. However, the Israeli international struggled to establish himself as a regular under Carlo Ancelotti, mainly due to a ruptured achilles in September that ruled him out for a majority of the season. He made his return for the club against Wigan Athletic on 9 April 2011. In the beginning of the 2011-12 season, he joined Arsenal on a 1-year loan deal, as he found his chances at Chelsea extremely limited. With his loan spell at The Emirates now complete, he has returned to Chelsea for the 2012-13 season. Whether or not he stays at the club remains to be seen, but one finds it hard to envision him in newly-appointed manager Roberto Di Matteo's long-term plans.

Chelsea FC is entering a new era. The current squad (including the above-mentioned players) is a decent one, but with some talented youngsters emerging from Chelsea's youth set-up & with Roman looking likely to go on another spending spree, one can hardly imagine us missing any of these players on my list if they do indeed leave. There is no doubt that they will always be remembered for their contributions to our success, but if any of these players do express a desire to leave, I have no doubt that the club will let them go.