This summer has been an eventful one at Stamford Bridge. When the protracted saga surrounding the arrival of Jose Mourinho for his second spell in charge of Chelsea finally ended, new signings were made to try and freshen up a squad which was ageing in certain areas.
While the addition of both Andre Schurrle from Bayer Leverkusen and promising Dutch youngster Marco van Ginkel from Vitesse Arnhem bode well for the future, there is one area where the Blues seem pretty short – up front. Although Romelu Lukaku has returned from his loan spell at West Bromwich Albion, the rest of the forward line looks a little less impressive.
Rooney or bust
While Mourinho might seem happy (and who wouldn’t when the 10th anniversary of the takeover completed by Roman Abramovich was celebrated) with the stars he currently has to choose from, a few more goals are needed to try and make his second coming a successful one. While the midfield talents of Eden Hazard, Juan Mata and Oscar could steer them to glory with Frank Lampard making the odd contribution, relying on the inconsistent Demba Ba and Fernando Torres won’t work.
Torres has been a huge disappointment since his £50m move from Liverpool a few seasons back. The Spaniard has been linked with moves to the likes of Liverpool and another former club, Atletico Madrid. Whether or not he leaves, another striker is necessary, and it seems that The Special One has his sights set firmly on Wayne Rooney, but will he get his man?
Money talks
Apparently, Chelsea have already had a bid knocked back by the England ace’s current club Manchester United, although no price was named. However, it seems that Rooney is angling for a move elsewhere, perhaps because after a long spell at Old Trafford, he feels underappreciated and would welcome a change of club to try and rekindle his love of the game.
What’s more likely is that he may force a move after stating that he was ‘angry and confused’ about his current situation at United. With David Moyes seeking to stamp his authority on the club following his move from Everton, getting tough with the often temperamental forward might be the best way to send a message.
Should Rooney steer clear of Stamford Bridge, who, if anyone, could join instead? Edinson Cavani is now at Paris Saint-Germain, Robert Lewandowski looks like staying put at Dortmund while Radamel Falcao went to Monaco a while ago. Perhaps a leftfield choice such as Aston Villa’s promising Christian Benteke could fit the bill, but for now, Rooney seems like the man for Mourinho.