How Will Chelsea's Strikers React To Anelka's Signing?
From Alan Hylands,
I may have bemoaned the lack of genuine talent being transferred in this January transfer window but this week made me eat my words a little as Nicolas Anelka finally left the purgatory world of Bolton Wanderers and a relegation dogfight for the more rarefied air of Stamford Bridge and Chelsea's battle for silverware on multiple fronts. I'm a long term admirer of Anelka (despite his supposedly sulky demeanour) and have been surprised that a bigger club haven't taken advantage of his undoubted talents before now. Liverpool had their chance when he was there on loan and blew it and it's taken a few years and nearly thirty million for them to get a striker anywhere near his quality in Fernando Torres. An expensive lesson learnt. Chelsea's main problem with Anelka's signing will be in keeping their current band of strikers happy and finding a system of play that suits them with the added dimension of Anelka in their attack. Didier Drogba has made no public secret of his desire to leave the club in the aftermath of Jose Mourinho's "sacking" and having told countless media outlets that he didn't even want to come to Chelsea in the first place and cried the night before he signed the (multi-million pound) contract I can't see the Ivorian lasting beyond the summer which at least solves the problem of finding a system to incorporate Drogba and Anelka who thrive on very types of service. Andriy Shevchenko has looked a spent force since he signed for Chelsea and the old myth of quality European player only signing for English clubs once they are past their best and ready for a large pension fund can be summed up easily in two words: Andriy Shevchenko. He's lost the yard of pace that set him apart and the hunger that made him one of the world's most feared strikers in the red and black of AC Milan and I'm surprised he wasn't moved on in the summer. A definite departure in the summer if not before. I'll sum the other Chelsea strikers up in two words: the rest. Claudio Pizarro is a perfect example of the kind of sub-standard player available on a free transfer when Roman Abramovich closed his transfer purse to Jose Mourinho and while he's a solid player he is nowhere near the standard required for a club pushing for the trophies Chelsea aim for. Salomon Kalou is of a similar standard, a good player but not a potentially great player who will NEVER score 20 plus goals for Chelsea in a season. The bottom line is that Nicolas Anelka can strike up a quick partnership when Didier Drogba comes back form the African Nation's Cup but he needn't get used to playing with him because I have a funny feeling he'll have a new multi-million pound strike partner come August 2008. From a selfish point of view I just hope he isn't a Bulgarian with first hand knowledge of the English Premier League and London football....
I may have bemoaned the lack of genuine talent being transferred in this January transfer window but this week made me eat my words a little as Nicolas Anelka finally left the purgatory world of Bolton Wanderers and a relegation dogfight for the more rarefied air of Stamford Bridge and Chelsea's battle for silverware on multiple fronts. I'm a long term admirer of Anelka (despite his supposedly sulky demeanour) and have been surprised that a bigger club haven't taken advantage of his undoubted talents before now. Liverpool had their chance when he was there on loan and blew it and it's taken a few years and nearly thirty million for them to get a striker anywhere near his quality in Fernando Torres. An expensive lesson learnt. Chelsea's main problem with Anelka's signing will be in keeping their current band of strikers happy and finding a system of play that suits them with the added dimension of Anelka in their attack. Didier Drogba has made no public secret of his desire to leave the club in the aftermath of Jose Mourinho's "sacking" and having told countless media outlets that he didn't even want to come to Chelsea in the first place and cried the night before he signed the (multi-million pound) contract I can't see the Ivorian lasting beyond the summer which at least solves the problem of finding a system to incorporate Drogba and Anelka who thrive on very types of service. Andriy Shevchenko has looked a spent force since he signed for Chelsea and the old myth of quality European player only signing for English clubs once they are past their best and ready for a large pension fund can be summed up easily in two words: Andriy Shevchenko. He's lost the yard of pace that set him apart and the hunger that made him one of the world's most feared strikers in the red and black of AC Milan and I'm surprised he wasn't moved on in the summer. A definite departure in the summer if not before. I'll sum the other Chelsea strikers up in two words: the rest. Claudio Pizarro is a perfect example of the kind of sub-standard player available on a free transfer when Roman Abramovich closed his transfer purse to Jose Mourinho and while he's a solid player he is nowhere near the standard required for a club pushing for the trophies Chelsea aim for. Salomon Kalou is of a similar standard, a good player but not a potentially great player who will NEVER score 20 plus goals for Chelsea in a season. The bottom line is that Nicolas Anelka can strike up a quick partnership when Didier Drogba comes back form the African Nation's Cup but he needn't get used to playing with him because I have a funny feeling he'll have a new multi-million pound strike partner come August 2008. From a selfish point of view I just hope he isn't a Bulgarian with first hand knowledge of the English Premier League and London football....
source: http://worldsoccer.about.com/
