Chelsea summer transfer summary

July 24, 2008

It’s that time of year: summer transfer window. Constant hot rumours, people leaving and arriving at clubs all over. Chelsea is no different, and this segment will look to dissect the transfer activity of the Blues.

Out the Door:

Steve Sidwell (Aston Villa, £ 5 million): Steve didn’t make many appearances for Chelsea after snubbing a new deal at Reading last summer to move on a free transfer to the Bridge. During his short tenure with the Blues, Sidwell never cracked the starting eleven - or even the sub bench - on a regular basis nor really impressing anyone when he did; although to be fair he never got many opportunities (more under Mourinho than Grant). However, if he can rekindle the impressive form he displayed at Reading, this could work out quite well for Aston Villa (especially should they need to replace Gareth Barry).

Khalid Boulahrouz (VfB Stuttgart, £ 4 million): During his 2 years under contract with Chelsea, aside from a couple of strong matches at the start of the 2006-2007 season, he never etched himself into the minds of the club or its supporters as a first choice defender. He did, however, engrave himself into the memories of Chelsea and its fans after hauling down Julio Baptista (then an Arsenal player) in the penalty area; this earned him a straight red card and a penalty kick which was knocked home by Gilberto Silva, ending the match in a 1-1 draw. Manchester United, the day before, had defeated Manchester City meaning Chelsea needed to win to have a shot at the title; Manchester United’s win and Chelsea’s draw effectively sealed the title for Manchester United. Boulahrouz would spend the next season on loan with Sevilla FC and fail to establish himself there as well.

Claude Makelele (Paris Saint - Germain, free): Makelele established himself as a regular starter with Chelsea and a fan favourite. He was always counted upon to anchor the midfield in important matches. He is widely regarded as one of, if not the best, defensive midfielders to ever play football; many defensive midfielders are compared to Makelele, he set the standard of how defensive midfield should be played. He was a vital part of the Chelsea teams that won silverware and the teams that came so very close. It is likely that Makelele was shown the door because of his age (35) and the need to bring in younger players; the personal reason of a return to France to finish is career is also plausible and understandable. This is the only player that has left that I think the club will truly miss.

New Arrivals:

Jose Bosingwa (FC Porto, £ 16.2 million): A member of the Porto squad that won the 2003-2004 Champions League under Jose Mourinho, Bosingwa is one of the most complete defenders Portugal has to offer. Bosingwa is an excellent attacker up the wing and was a member of a Porto defense that wasn’t known to concede many goals, a testament to his defending skills. He was a vital member of the Porto team that won 4 league titles in 5 years. After an impressive display in Euro 2008, look for him to quickly establish himself as a central figure in Chelsea.

Deco (FC Barcelona, £ 7.9 million): A proven midfield veteran with excellent vision and ball distribution could help Chelsea significantly. All comments and jabs about the aging midfield aside, Deco has a very impressive resume: 3 Portuguese league titles, 3 Portuguese domestic cups, 2 Spanish league titles, the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Champions League twice. Like Bosingwa, he had a strong Euro 2008 where he had shown excellent form and proven why he’s won so much silverware. His midfield creativity and precise, defense-splitting passing could make Chelsea very deadly, should he stay in good form. For what the Blues’ paid, they are getting an excellent midfielder; if he stays in good form and lives up to expectations, this could be one of the biggest bargain signings of this transfer period.

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