The season is coming to an end and we can’t help wondering what will happen in the summer – and by that I mean, of course, which players will we buy. In this post, I comment on the striker situation.
Let’s start with Demba Ba. The lad came from Newcastle in top form after 1 and a half season of scoring goals. 29 goals in 58 games if I have to be accurate. However, after he joined Chelsea, he hasn’t scored that many goals – 5 in 16 games (all competitions). Now that’s not very impressive but my opinion on Ba differs from the common opinion that he’s useless – I think he’s had a nice impact after joining us. 2 goals in his debut, 1 in the Premier League – first 3 goals vs. Southampton, then a drought of 7 games, then a very important goal vs West Bromwich to seal a 1-0 victory on Stamford Bridge and then a magnificent strike vs. Manutd (sealing a 1-0 victory again) in the FA Cup, knocking them out of the competition. In some of these 16 games, Ba has done a lot more than Torres. For example – there was a game, I think it was Torres’ 100th game for Chelsea, where Fernando played for 81 minutes, touching the ball 19 times, scoring no goals (like many of you can remember). Benitez decided to put on Ba and the Senegalese had an instant impact – scoring a goal, which was wrongly disallowed for an offside.
I personally think Demba Ba has a future in Chelsea. He’s been a refreshing and pretty cheap purchase. He turns 28 in late May this year so he has a good number of years ahead of him. I’m not saying he’ll play in Chelsea till he’s 33-34 but I think he can be the perfect squad player for the next 2 years, if not 3.
Now let’s look at Fernando Torres. No doubt that he’s been a great lad in the last few games. He’s been scoring some vital goals. And he’s been playing on a relatively great level. However, people tend to overrate his impact. Okay, I’m not going to take his great games away – because I was genuinely happy. I was happy when he scored vs Steaua, then vs. Rubin, then vs. Rubin again. He also had a huge impact on our important win vs. Sunderland. No doubt about these games.
However, don’t forget that Torres has been like that before – when Benitez game, there was a period of time when Torres scored 8 goals in 7 games or something like that – which is an incredible run. But then came a great drought of 2 goals in 22 games. That drought ended exactly with the second leg of the Steaua game. I personally think that we should sell Torres even if he brings us the Europa League (which is looking pretty likely with his latest form). Don’t forget that this guy is probably the most unpredictable player in the world right now. He can play a series of 7-8 games as if he’s Ronaldo or Messi and then he can return to his [usual] self of a ghostlike figure, which takes the #9 jersey for a 90-minute walk. People should not forget that. So I think he should be sold, hopefully used in the Falcao deal [Torres + £30m = Falcao).
Time to look at Romelu Lukaku. The 19-year-old striker has been performing very well since he joined West Bromwich on loan. So well that many people are ready to bring him back to the Bridge after the season ends. However, I don’t share the same opinion – yes, Lukaku is fantastic, he’s probably the best teenage striker in Europe now, but he still isn’t as prolific as the best strikers in the world. And, damn it, that boy has the potential to become exactly one of the best strikers – ‘The Next Drogba’ like he’s been called not once or twice. He has great physical stats, he’s fast, he’s a good finisher (you might stop here and ask yourself ‘Wait, didn’t he say Lukaku isn’t…’ and hopefully you’ll stop there, return back a few lines and read that I didn’t say he isn’t prolific, I said he isn’t AS prolific AS the best strikers). So my suggestion is, loan Lukaku to another Premier League team. Many suggest loaning him to a Champions League team – yes, that might be a good idea, but the lad is not completely ready for the Premier League to jump directly to the Champions League. But then again – why not loaning him to a Premier League AND Champions League team?
However, there aren’t many options – Manutd, Man City, Arsenal/Spuds – I personally wouldn’t like him in these teams, especially not the first two. Arsenal is probably the best option if we’re looking for a PL/CL team but let’s not forget that they also might not qualify for next year’s edition of the Champions League. Although, I believe they will and Spuds will be left in the Europa League as well. So – a loan to Arsenal for Premier League football on a high level + Champions League football – that might not be a good idea. And please, hold your horses, if you’re planning to insult me for suggesting that – it’s my opinion – I also think that he should be loaned to a team like Swansea because that would mean Premier League AND Europa League (EL is a pretty underrated tournament but the football in it is pretty damn good and doesn’t lack quality). So, Swansea or Arsenal.
Radamel Falcao – undoubtedly the striker, who’s been linked with Chelsea the strongest. Falcao is a fantastic player. He turned 27 in early February this year. And if we manage to make a swap deal [Torres + £30m like I said under the picture of Fernando] that might just be a fantastic deal. However, many say Atletico will not agree on a deal like that, because ‘they need the money’. I say they may just agree, if we offer a deal like that. Many also say that ‘he might flop like Torres’ – what the hell? That’s just playing dumb. Well, every player can flop – we’ve seen it before, we’ll see it again. Believe me when I tell you, that Roman is still pretty fucking rich even after players like Shevchenko and Torres. He will have enough money even if we give Atletico £50m for Falcao. Relax. Of course, we always have to worry about the FFP. But I bet that the people in the club have carefully thought about it as well and are still confident that we can snatch some top players, just like Falcao. Nobody’s going after Messi or Ronaldo, so don’t worry. Having mentioned Ronaldo, I have to go back to the ‘flopping’ part – Real Madrid paid £80m for Ronaldo. Did he flop? No. Was there a huge risk? Of course. There always is. But nobody, and I mean NOBODY can say whether Falcao (or any other top (£30m+) striker) will flop or not.
Of course, we’ve been linked with many strikers – Suarez, Lewandowski, Bony, Jovetic, Hulk, etc. We can’t buy all of them, that’s for sure. If I had to choose which striker I want in the summer, I’d say Suarez or Lewandowski.
Time to hear what you guys think. Please post a comment below the article. KTBFFH!
u ar certainly correct by but my prefered option is Falcao
I really don’t get why so many Chelsea fans want to spend 50+Millon on a player who is 26+, cause that worked out so well for us before. If we were going to spend this money on a player I would spend it on a young talented played like Neymar who will sell shirts in truck loads and be around for many years. And honestly I would be happy with BA, Torres and someone like Hernandez as strikers for Chelsea
Neymar is overrated as fuck.
Yoyu making sense pal
Falcao,Benzema maybe Zlatan if we can buy him. Messi?!
Mittfelters: Özil,Di Maria,Nani,Iniesta,Ronaldo,Modric,Alonso,Xavi,Thiago,Nasri,Yaya Toure,And many more! And o Real Madrid C.F.,Chelsea FC,Juventus,Borussia Dortmund,Bayern München,Manchester City,Malaga,PSG in 1 team that gonna be: A M AZING
i think yu shud go for falcao nd hulk
ft9 should stay as for ba he will improve next season Lukaku.will have to go back on loan and we need a striker but am not a big fan of Falcao so we should look at some one like a Lewandowski.
Youre a plank!
Just wondering,Torres+30mlln=Falcao?
Yes Torres might be bad but not that much pliz
I totally disagree with you on the issue of fernando torres,and i think exchanging him plus 30 million would not be the wisest transfer dealing,there are younger better strikers who go for far less,jovetic for example,now thats a striker,and whats wrong with having four strikers in a team,at least lets try the 4-4-2 formation for once in a long while
i hope they keep torres
if torres keeps his form up we might not have to worry about getting someone like falcao. there have been rumors that if mourinho comes back to chelsea he has hulk at the top of his list.
Am still suprised that after all the misery Torres has brought to Cfc many fans still dnt see it dat Torres is inconsistent, sorry to say this but if Torres stays I dnt see ‘the special one’ coming next season………………………………..bkman from port harcourt, Nigeria
Torres is not leaving. He’s staying with chelsea for the remainder of his contract (another 3 years). Two more good strikers and an attacking midfielder would be great.
Ummm.. Torres+30mill for Falcao not a bad deal??!! And saying that ppl have flopped before and will flop agin is the dumbest thing ive heard.. even a 5mill pound splayer can flop or shine.. thats not the pt.. the pt is making the same mistakes again.. I.e. overpaying for a star.. Ronaldo was one of the best in the world when Madrid bought him.. FYI Madrid have a good record of buying the best players and making it work in their favour.. We Dont.. and Torres’ performances is certainly not overrated .. its just ppl tend to not look at the stats properly.. Yes, his performances arent as good as before but hell he is still our best striker this season.. and with Mourinho coming back we might be in for a treat… So hold your horses.. this was a a transition season. . Next season will be different..
We’ve been waiting for this next season more than Liverpool fans have been waiting for theirs. Enough is enough. Time to let him go. Last season was supposed to be the transition season, so was this season. I’m not waiting any more. If you feel like waiting forever for ‘the next season’ – go support Liverpool. And you don’t have to stop being a Torres fanboy there as well. So it’s a win-win.
dimatteofan. Do yourself a favour and don’t attempt to write again,especially when it’s crap like this.
What do you know about transition? Do you even have experience as a player or coach?
Dimatteo or whatever u r.. u dont know shit abt football and Chelsea.. and U r the one who is a plastic fan.. and also prob u need glasses to read what I said.. I said this was a transition season…because there are so many new players coming in. Our whole strike force has changed.. thats y I said wait and see next season.. and especially if Mourinho comes back cause I know he will fix things.. Btw.. Torres was third highest contributer of goals last season.. and this season he is our top goalscorer. 19goals… and he will surely be around 25 by the end of the season.. and if that is not good enuf for what has been a very inconsistent season for our whole team.. then I think u dont understand football.. on a personal note, ive been a Chelsea supporter since 2001 so please dont talk nonsense and talk football..
Personally, I prefer Torres in form to Falcao, and please remember, Falcao is still unproven in the premier league, and we all know what an inform Torres Could be, plus your offer of 30mil+Torress for Falcao is absolutely ridiculous, instead, why not keep Torres and buy some other young and promising striker who would sell for much less than 30mil and with that we got nothing to loose but much to gain in the end.
tanx man, u av just spoken my mind. Wats all dis obsession about falcao?
Torres+30mill for Falcao not a good deal for me bcos Falcao only wait for the ball to come and once He is been mark by defenders he is gone from the pitch very bad. but Torres is very unpredictable, he can run with the ball, put pressures on defenders, create chances for others to score goal, and do great runs. the only problem with Torres is that he lack the degree of freedom and confidence he used to hav when he was with liverpool.
also Torres has team spirit he is showing massive improvement everyday therefore Torres Falco deal is not a good deal. keep Torres and look for good cheap and but not establish strikers to complement him. establish strikers get lazy always wait for the ball thats why they flop
what Chelsea at this moment is a striker who can drive through the middle not strikers like Falcao not wait for the ball
I PREFER SUAREZ AND LEWANDOSIQ
If we keep Torres and buy another young striker ,it is lyk making the same mistake we’ve made in the last 2yrs ,bcos the prize tag will put pressure on the coach 2 play him wen the cheaper strikers are in form ,my point is this if we want 2 see the Cfc dat will challenge big teams 4 major trophies, we should get rid of Torres and get falcao, bring back lukaku or get another young striker. If we kip Torres I dnt see us making any progress next season .TNX ……bkman from port harcourt, Nigeria
Who will pay Torres’ huge wages at Atletico Madrid ?
Only City, PSG,Galatasaray or Anzhi can afford Torres’ wage transfer fee ( but why would they ?)
Fuck you torres is going nowhere
keep torres, buy falcao (my 1st choice) OR lewandowski (2nd choice) therefore if torres has a goal drought it won’t affect our season or results that much as we’ll have a clinical finisher in his prime. Buy Bony as well it give us other options rather than just playing through the middle all the time, (be aware of the African Cup happens Ba and Bony will be involved)- so leaves us with 2 strikers. And send lukaku on a loan with club for one more year to come back the following season torres is like 30/31 and lukaku takes his place! Best way forward for me!
TORRES is going nowhere.He’s in great form.He’s the kind of player Chelsea needs,cause he’s unselfish,Scores in crucial times,creates lot of chances for others and he has 3 years left on his contract.Chelsea should recall Lukaku and maybe callup Feruz in the senior squad.This saves lots of Money.Falcao’s current form is really poor.Chelsea could also play the 4-4-2 formation next season.Playing Ba and Torres in important matches and resting them for unimportant matches.
NO SELLING TORRES!!
Get falcao and Hulk..
i would prefer a much younger striker like lukaku lewandowski bony feruz bamford piazon than el tigre at his age the price is too much for me up de blues
I would bring in noone (not the player from cardiff, no one in particular ). Keep torres and ba, dont loan out kdb, chalobah and courtois, get rid of turnbull, hilario, ferreira and some dead wood.
heyyy dude you’re awesome we have the same name
come on, we have enough strikers already. if someone can take torres maybe juve who made a bid for torres or anzi or psg. BA is certainly underrated, lukaku will hate the team and leave as he is going frustrated and if there’s a better time to use or very pricey academy products it’s now. we only need banega or benat to dictate the midfield and let ramires have the freedom to run(mikel does that but he’s not creative and lamps just can’t defend) only one of those two and promote some academy products
I’m so tired of people complaining about Torres. He’s a fantastic player, he’s given us 21 goals in all competition this season and thats a lot. Even Rooney hasnt scored that much and still no one complains. We wont sell Toress and never should. Enough said!