Do we really need Falcao?

As the season comes to close, top clubs around the world prepare for the summer transfer window, and you can bet on your life that Chelsea have begun theirs. Chelsea have already been linked to a number of players. Isco, Shaw, Toure, etc ;  but the one that clearly stands out is, Radamel Falcao.

El Tigre, as he is known as in the Spanish capital, is one of the important members in the formidable Athletico Madrid side along with Thibaut Courtois, that sit third in La Liga, a point behind Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid and 13 ahead of 4th placed Real Sociedad.

Chelsea at this point, need strikers, and that is how the common Chelsea fan does take it. It is also widely believed that the only answer to this problem is to lure Falcao with the Russian rubles. However, is the final third, the only problem Chelsea face? Assuming that Falcao will come for nothing less than 60 million, is there no other area where Chelsea can strengthen by dividing the money?

Lets look into why we don’t need Falcao –

We get back the Belgian who has been mentored by a Stamford Bridge favorite. –

Romelu Lukaku is without a doubt the biggest u-19 name out there. The boy made the switch from RSC Anderlecht, with Andre Villas Boas opening up his transfer purse. He has been earning plaudits at West Bromwich Albion, where he has been nurtured by Chelsea legend, Steve Clarke. If we consider the fact that Torres is set to leave Chelsea at the end of this season, then we have Demba Ba and Lukaku, both proven in the EPL to provide goals when needed. He fills in to the striker role, and with his national team-mate, Eden Hazard by his side, things can turn easy.

Chelsea have this thing with strikers. –

..not all of them play as expected too. Whether it is pressure from inflated transfer fee’s and to perform at the big stage, or the problem of adapting into the league’s style of play, Chelsea strikers have found it difficult. With Shevchenko and Torres standing out at prime examples, would Roman make the same mistake again by trusting on what he see’s on paper?

Yes some players have left a lasting remark with their transfer fee’s, but it will always be a risk to dish out over 40m for a player who plays in a league where defenders do not give them a torrid time. Do you think Falcao could survive against Stoke City after years of facing frail defenses ? He hasn’t been given a chance, but there’s always the probability of failing.

Would you risk Cech’s replacement for Falcao? –

Reports are emerging from Spain that Chelsea are ready to take in Falcao by offerring money and the Belgian No.1 , Thibaut Courtois. With Cech gone, would you want Chelsea spending another 20m for a goalkeeper? Butland has already rejected a Chelsea move and that is primarily cause he wants to play football and not sit on the bench. Strikers win you games while defenders help you win trophies, and without a solid goalkeeper behind the defender, nothing can stop a ball hitting the back of the net. Chelsea might have faced tons of problem, but they have never had one regarding their goalkeeper, and they will not for the next 10-15 years, IF, they keep their hands on Courtois. At his age, he is breaking records left and right.

Think again.
Would you risk him for a 60 million striker?

UEFA and FFP will hit us soon –

If Chelsea do win any silverware this season, then they are fine. Thanks to the European victory last season, Chelsea actually made profit for the first time. However if we’re not to win any silverware, then Chelsea will find trouble in spending as they will not be able to throw a lot of money.

There are two options to get around this, and they are –

• Let Torres, Malouda, Ferreira and Lampard go –

Yes, you won’t like this part. I’ve seen Lampard from the very first day he played for the Blues. The Chelsea faithful were skeptic on Claudio Ranieri’s decision to bring the England international to the Bridge. A modest fee of 11 million seems to have turned priceless over the years.

However the Lampard of today, is not the Lampard we are used too. His favorite position has been picked up by three talented players and he is having problems fitting into the role of a deep-lying play-maker. Yes, he has been scoring goals and records have been broken and are close to being too as well, but if a period of transition is to occur, then we have to let go.

There is no gain without any pain. Letting go of a club legend like Lampard is tough, but it has to happen one day or the other. If it doesn’t happen, then the transition phase suffers, and ultimately so does the club. Moreover, the exit of Lampard, Malouda, Ferreira increases the wage cap, something Chelsea could need in this strict financial condition.

Moreover, Torres is bound to move this summer as quoted by the tabloids. The 50 million spent on him has been recuperated long ago, with all those sky-rocketing shirt sales. However, his inflated wages could be put to good use.

We live in a world where Torres earns 175k a week and Mata earns 67k.
Food for thought.

• Let Torres return to his roots –

He might have attained stardom at Liverpool, but it was all an humble beginning for him from Athletico Madrid. The fans at Madrid love him to bits. He is adored wherever he goes. Diego Simeone, the present manager at Athletico, has not ruled out the possibility of signing Torres and bringing him back. A player plus cash deal has been talked about for quite some time, and there doesn’t look much harm in giving 20 odd million and Torres for El Tigre.

Athletico will keep hold of Falcao for only this long. They know they can’t keep him forever, and won’t feel bad about it either. Why? They lost Torres to Liverpool, Sergio Aguero came. They lost Aguero, Diego Forlan came. They lost Forlan, Radamel Falcao came. Simeone knows that if Falcao does leave, he will get another brilliant player to step up.

All in all, this just helps Chelsea adapt into the new era of strict financial control. Club’s today are an investment, where emotional sentiment does not hold a high place. If things have to be done, they are done. No matter how harsh it sounds. Even Lampard knows that for the good of Chelsea, the seniors will have to bow out, and the sooner they do, the faster the new generation can gel. Kevin De Bruyne and Josh McEachran are more than able replacements for Lampard, with KDB being the more complete midfielder. We have already pushed back the transition phase by a year with the dismissal of AVB and hopefully we won’t regret that.

They have done it all in their club career, and shouldn’t have anything to complain about.

Divide the transfer fee, bring in more players –

Lets be honest with ourselves. We have not had a lot of problem scoring goals, even though we have had Torres upfront. This has mainly come down to our midfielders being able to create and convert goals . However our defense has been leaky, making us concede cheap goals.

I shall take the United’s FA Cup tie for example. We never deserved to go 2-0 down. The goals conceded were horrible mistakes, that come down on the square shoulders of the Chelsea back-line who missed John Terry. On the other-hand we had goals from Hazard and Ramires. One that epitomized the beauty of a right-foot curler and the other, a text-book counter-attack.

One of the likeliest transfers to take place this summer is that of Luke Shaw, a promising England international who ply’s his trade for Southampton. He has made his love for Chelsea known a long ago to all his twitter followers, and believes it’s his dream to play there one day.

With Ashley Cole having signed a 1 year extension, doubts have crept over his under-study, Ryan Bertrand’s, credibility as a left-back for Chelsea. He is prone to mistakes and is sometimes too defensive and sometimes too attack-minded. With Luke Shaw, Chelsea have a player who loves to get forward in the EPL and one who is strong and physical enough to get back in time. He would aid the team’s transition as well. Another candidate for this position is Real Madrid’s Fabio Coentrao. If Mourinho is to return, he could bring the Portuguese left-back with him.

Moreover there has also been talk of bringing in Yaya Toure. The midfielder who seem’s to want a move away from Manchester has had his availability inquired by a number of clubs, and you can bet that Chelsea have as well. Think about it this way . How good would Mikel and Toure look in the double pivot along with Mata, Oscar and Hazard in-front of them?

Only problem in such a transfer would be that Toure doesn’t have a shed of loyalty in his blood and he is 29 years old. Old plus would be a tad bit expensive. Even Roman will think twice before spending money on him.

To conclude this piece, all I would like to say is that, Falcao is a classic center forward. One who you can expect to grab goals. Chelsea at this point lack one, and it all seem’s perfect to bring him to London, put him in a Chelsea jersey and push him up in-front of Mata, Oscar and Hazard. However, football isn’t that simple.

We need to have faith in the young players who have been impressing elsewhere and we have to move away from our policies of buying.  Secondly, there’s always a chance that things won’t work out for him in England, and we could put a promising career in jeopardy. Thirdly, exchanging promising players for him, should never be an option. Fourth,  every romance has an ending. Sometimes its better to let go for the better good. Fifth, 60 million could be spent on 3-4 players rather than just one.