Chelsea: Swedish centre-back targeted; Lukaku didn't try to force move; loanee criticises club

By Jake Jackman

The work for the January transfer window starts now, as clubs begin to source targets and gather detailed information on each one. The recruitment process is long and a lot of work is done behind the scenes before a player is seen holding up the club shirt. Chelsea will be working hard to identify centre-back targets, with Football Italia reporting that they will try to sign Victor Lindelof in January. The 22-year-old has a €30 million buy-out clause in his Benfica contract. They will face competition from Inter Milan and PSG, both of whom are flushed with cash, which will make it difficult for Chelsea to secure a deal.

His versatility is one of his biggest strengths, as he can play as a centre-half or as a defensive midfielder. Conte will be buying him to play centre-back and his pace marks him as a great option to play in a back three. This allows him to recover after making a mistake and Chelsea haven’t had this in their defence since the injury to Kurt Zouma. Lindelof is an aggressive defender, but that can be a disadvantage as he can be reckless with his tackles. He would be a good signing, but it is too early to get excited about this one.

Romelu Lukaku has spoken about his summer transfer window and he states that he chose not to force a move out of Everton, despite interest from Chelsea. The Blues made a significant bid for their former striker as they wanted to add more competition to their attack. Although they couldn’t get a deal done, it wouldn’t be a surprise for them to continue monitoring Lukaku as he would be the perfect replacement for Diego Costa when he departs. The Telegraph reports the following quotes from Lukaku:

“For me football is not about money – I want to win prizes,”

“But when I get into a situation where I can leave but my team will not let me, I’m not someone who misses training, gets fined and develops a bad reputation.

“I try to remain calm and treat my club with respect. Hopefully they also treat me with respect and I can leave through the front door.

“I knew of the interest of a few clubs, it was quickly very clear that Everton would not let me go. It was important to me that I remained calm, and I did.”

These are encouraging quotes as they show that Lukaku approaches his career in the correct way. Too many players try to force a move if they are unhappy, but the Belgian remained respectful to Everton throughout. This mentality should help him as his career develops.

Finally, Lucas Piazon has criticised Chelsea’s loan policy after being sent on his fifth loan since joining the club in 2012. He joined Fulham towards the end of the transfer window and he said the following to the Daily Mail:

“It makes no sense to go on loan all the time. It is not good for any player in my experience — or the experience of the other boys. I don’t see it as a positive thing any more. To be in a different place every year is not good for me at 22.

“It’s difficult to get a place in the team. They have their own players. You do your best, try to get a place in the squad, minutes on the pitch, score and create goals. That’s all you can do.”

Although there are benefits to Chelsea’s loan policy, it can do damage to promising careers as players don’t get the opportunity to feel settled at any one club. If Chelsea continue to use the loan system as they do, young players may be reluctant to join the club and that would be damaging.

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