Former Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan star Luis Figo has announced his intention to stand for FIFA president.
In the above clip, from our friends at CNN, Figo explains his motivations and talks about what he’d do first if he was elected.
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Former Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan star Luis Figo has confirmed he will stand against Sepp Blatter in the running for FIFA’s presidency.
CNN Football Club revealed the Portuguese legend’s intentions:
The player himself also made an announcement on Twitter:
Figo’s full interview with CNN’s Alex Thomas can be viewed here.
Martyn Ziegler of the Press Association provided quotes from the 42-year-old’s discussion:
Vitally, Figo has confirmed he possesses the five nominations of support needed by Thursday to be considered a legitimate candidate, per football writer Ben Lyttleton:
The retired winger spoke about the moments in which he realised change needs to happen, as reported by Chris Murphy and Chris Eldergill of CNN:
Last year was the World Cup, I was in Brazil and I saw the reaction of all the fans regarding the image of FIFA and I think something has to be changed. Change in leadership, governance, transparency and solidarity, so I think it’s the moment for that.
He also suggested Michael Garcia’s report into the controversial bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups—which FIFA failed to publish—helped him make a decision, per Murphy and Eldergill:
After that report was not published I think that was the moment of change and the moment I thought that something had to be done. If you are transparent and if you ask for an investigation, a report, which you have nothing to hide, why don’t you make public that report? If you have nothing to hide about that, you have to do it.
Figo remains a favourite for many supporters who grew up watching his Galactico-era success with Madrid. He is due to stand against other candidates including Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein of Jordan, Dutch FA president Michael van Praag and even ex-Tottenham Hotspur star David Ginola.
It already seems Figo’s potential campaign is of a more serious standing than Ginola’s. For one, Figo’s attempts to oust Blatter aren’t backed by gambling site Paddy Power, as reported by Nick Harris of the MailOnline.
Figo’s immediate confirmation that he has the necessary weight behind his candidacy also ensures he won’t be accused of simply trying a publicity stunt, claims Ginola recently had to battle against, per Sky Sports.
On Blatter’s presidency since 1998, Figo suggested “no-one is untouchable,” per Murphy and Eldergill. His willingness to stand against the controversial Swiss leader is likely to take many by surprise, particularly as Figo made little indication he would run for president before Wednesday’s announcement.
It will certainly be interesting to hear which new and interesting ideas he would install. Blatter’s FIFA presidency has often been accused of taking football back to the “dark ages,” with suggestions the sport needs a younger, more in touch overseer to make the major decisions.
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Veteran striker Samuel Eto’o completed his transfer from Everton to Sampdoria on Tuesday, confirmed by the Toffees, bringing an end to a marriage that lasted only six months:
The former Cameroon international joined Everton in the summer of 2014 as a free agent, staying in the Premier League after his contract with Chelsea ran out.
Eto’o showed glimpses of his old self in his first few starts for his new club, but his performances soon started to drop. According to WhoScored.com, the forward hasn’t scored a goal since October.
Rumours started to surface there was some kind of disagreement between the player and Roberto Martinez, leading to the transfer speculation. As shared by The Times‘ Tony Barrett, Martinez refuted that notion:
Martinez commented in a statement on Everton’s official website, upon announcement of Eto’o’s departure:
We thank Samuel for his efforts and for bringing his know-how to the team and to Finch Farm where he passed on some of his terrific experience to all of the young players in particular.
The memory of his performances in Europe stand out especially. On behalf of all Evertonians, we wish him well for the next chapter in his career.
Eto’o’s greatest successes came with Inter Milan, winning the treble in the 2009-10 season and establishing himself as one of the world’s best forwards. His family remained in Italy after he completed a move to Anzhi Makhachkala, and they still live in Milan to this day, per Gianlucadimarzio.com’s David Amoyal.
A move back to Serie A will allow him to spend more time with them in the twilight of his career, and a club of Sampdoria’s stature will gladly accommodate the veteran, who is still hugely popular in Italy. According to Sport Witness, fans started to arrange a massive welcome party as soon as rumours of his arrival emerged:
Eto’o no longer possesses the raw pace and power that made him one of the most feared strikers in the world, but he’s still an excellent finisher with great instincts and the experience to be effective in virtually any system.
It never hurts to add a veteran, effective scorer for a minimal investment, and Eto’o will now have the chance to prove he still has a lot to offer.
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The future of Manchester City‘s midfield king Yaya Toure is up in the air once again, with Chelsea being alerted to the player’s potential availability.
Yaya is currently away from England on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations, but the player recently hinted his future is uncertain during an interview with CNN, as reported by Ben Jefferson of the Express:
“That’s a big question [about his future] and that’s an easy question as well, and you have an easy answer—we’ll see. I don’t know. I’m at City at the moment.”
Jefferson says reports in Italy proclaim Inter Milan will make a £7 million offer for the former Barcelona player, triggering a wave of interest from Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool.
Inter boss and former City coach Roberto Mancini commented on the quality of Toure and called the potential transfer situation as “difficult,” per Jefferson:
“I worked with Toure and think he is one of the best players in the world, but right now he is at Manchester City. It’s a difficult issue now, but we’ll see in future.”
Yaya famously fell out with the Premier League champions back in May 2014, per Chris Bevan of BBC Sport, when his agent spoke of a lack of respect surrounding his client when City failed to correctly acknowledge the player’s birthday.
He was instrumental in the Etihad club claiming their second Premier League title in three years, and despite a dip in form this term after the bizarre birthday incident, the 31-year-old remains hugely influential as a genuine goalscoring threat for City.
This season he has hit seven goals in 18 Premier League appearances, per WhoScored, but his ageing legs will help keep his price at a realistic level.
In other news, reports in France say Chelsea are scouting highly rated midfield talent Abdoulaye Doucoure.
The 22-year-old Rennes player has represented France at youth level and is valued at £4 million, according to Alex Harris of the Daily Star.
Doucoure‘s development was halted in 2013 after suffering knee ligament damage, but he has made a full recovery and grabbed a regular starting berth for his club.
The player has previously spoken about his playing style, saying, per Harris: “I’m a deep-lying playmaker. I try to make the team more solid be helping win the ball, and then when we have the ball I look to get forward and get in to positions from where I can score goals and set them up.”
And French football writer Rich Allen recently profiled the player and compared his skill set to that of Yaya Toure: “Indeed, similarities between Doucoure and Manchester City’s Ivorian [Yaya Toure] are visible at times. Doucoure‘s distribution is excellent and he has developed a skill for ghosting into the opposition box unmarked.”
At such a bargain price, Doucoure is sure to attract much attention in the next few months, and if he continues to develop, he will be one of Ligue 1’s most desirable players.
Chelsea could use a powerful central midfielder in their ranks who gives them something different to the destructive qualities of Nemanja Matic and the fleeting skill of Cesc Fabregas.
Toure is still very much a superb Premier League operator, but at Chelsea he would be asked to play a more defensive role.
This may not suit him—at City he has a partner to do most of the covering and screening while he is afforded licence to burst forward.
But Chelsea do miss the threat from deep once offered by Frank Lampard, and Yaya would add this element back into Mourinho’s armoury.
However, with a midfield exploding with flair and beauty, it is questionable whether Toure is a good fit for this current incarnation of Chelsea.
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Inter Milan continued their impressive January transfer window on Monday, announcing the signing of Marcelo Brozovic from Dinamo Zagreb on a two-year loan deal with an option to make the move permanent.
Goal UK shared the news:
The news was confirmed by the club’s official website. Gianlucadimarzio.com’s David Amoyal provided exclusive photos of the player signing his new contract at the Nerazzurri headquarters.
According to Football Italia, the midfielder’s contract includes a set of parameters set to impact the clause to make the deal permanent. If the 22-year-old Croat does well, the clause will be automatically activated.
The Croatia international was quoted telling Vecernji List (h/t Football Italia) he fully expects to play for the Italian giants, rather than sit on the bench:
I must compete with Gary Medel and Fredy Guarin for a place, sometimes even Mateo Kovacic. There are four of us for three midfild spots, but at Inter there will be room for everyone. I am convinced that I’ll get a lot of playing time.
The signing didn’t come as a surprise, as ForzaItalianFootball shared this image of the midfielder watching his new club take on Torino on Sunday:
Inter currently sit well outside the European slots in the Serie A standings and have invested heavily in the January window, with Brozovic becoming the third major signing for the club after bringing in Xherdan Shaqiri and Lukas Podolski earlier.
Newly appointed manager Roberto Mancini is being given plenty of new toys to work with by club officials. The pressure to perform will only increase as a result.
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Unless you have been living under a rock for much of this morning, you will be well aware of the recent stories linking Pep Guardiola with an early exit from Bayern Munich, despite only being halfway through his second season at the club.
According to reports originating in German newspaper Bild, later picked up by Ed Malyon of the Mirror on January 26, the former Barcelona manager has refused to acknowledge or indeed commit to any suggestions that he will extend his contract at the Munich club and instead leave once it runs down following the 2015/16 season.
The English press, per the Mirror‘s David Anderson, would have us believe that he already has one foot in the door at the Etihad Stadium, with Manchester City poaching him while Manuel Pellegrini still sits comfortable in the dugout, yet there is plenty we have to consider while Guardiola still remains manager of the Bavarian giants.
Unless the Spanish manager wins the Champions League this year, a contract extension or any hope of finishing his time at the club may no longer be on offer.
To consider just how precious Guardiola‘s tenure at Bayern may become, we must first realise that this isn’t a club that defines itself on Bundesliga or other domestic competitions. As the critics would suggest, the German top division isn’t exactly a fair race at the moment, and as such the inevitable league title that the Bavarian side pick up in May will add very little weight to Guardiola‘s time in charge.
The former defensive midfielder was brought to Bayern for bigger things. Any decent coach could offer a worthwhile challenge to Borussia Dortmund, Wolfsburg or even Schalke; Guardiola is in Munich for so much more.
Naturally, that leaves us with little else but the Champions League to ponder over. The European Cup, as it once was, has always been a defining tournament in the history of Bayern and has continued to highlight the success or inefficiencies of former managers.
Louis van Gaal never won it, despite reaching the final against Inter Milan in 2010 and as such left the club with a certain degree of frustration looming over his tenure. The Dutch coach won every other trophy available that year, yet fans only remember one game when they look back on that season.
Similarly, the man who quickly replaced him, Jupp Heynckes, was almost a complete disaster after finishing second to Dortmund in every aspect in 2012. Then, to the disbelief of fans and critics alike, the former Monchengladbach player took his side to a treble-winning season—with a Champions League trophy and his status as a club legend firmly intact.
This then brings us back to Guardiola, who has already had one stab at the European title whilst in Munich and failed in spectacular fashion when his career-spanning rivals Real Madrid dumped his side out of the competition last year with an aggregate score of 5-0.
This new coach, heralded as the future of Bayern, had took Heynckes‘ side and completely dismantled its ability to win the European Cup.
Yet that summer saw factors considered, players bought and sold and ultimately Guardiola was excused to have another go at it this season. So far it seems as though we may be looking at a side that could genuinely beat all others to the trophy in May.
Yet make no mistake; should Guardiola falter in the quarter-finals, semi-finals or even the final again this year then he may find himself replaced and joining his old Barcelona colleague Van Gaal in the lesser pages of Bayern‘s Hall of Fame.
For should he fail to lift the European Cup for Bayern this year or the next then the board may need not worry about his contract expiring.
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Once ordained as Claude Makelele’s successor, Rubin Kazan‘s French defensive midfielder Yann M’Vila, 24, continues his decline.
Failing to make a positive impression on loan at Inter Milan is the latest sad chapter of the M’Vila soap opera.
“[Inter Milan] has big plans. They want to get back to the top and that’s exactly where I want to be,” M’Vila said, per Inter.it. “I’m going to give everything I’ve got for Inter Milan.”
Talk is cheap.
M’Vila says the right things, but actions speak louder than words.
His ability is unquestioned.
At one point, he was the top French prospect 20 years old or younger, according to Ben Lyttleton at Sports Illustrated.
In 2011, then-Rennes manager Frederic Antonetti spoke of M’Vila as French football’s future.
“Yann is a combination of the great defensive midfielders,” Antonetti said, per Le Parisien (h/t FIFA.com). “He reads the game like Claude Makelele, has the presence of Patrick Vieira and can pass the ball like Yaya Toure.”
While M’Vila was seemingly destined for greatness, Paul Pogba—an unproven headstrong French talent—had the intrepidness to use his expiring contract as leverage against then-Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
M’Vila and Pogba typify how three to four years is a new generation in football.
To succeed in the Italian Serie A or any other elite European league, you need to be a world-class talent, who is in optimal physical and mental shape.
Pogba ticks in all three categories.
M’Vila falls way short physically and mentally.
There is about a €300,000/£230,000 difference in the salaries of Pogba and M’Vila, per Carlo Laudisa at La Gazzetta dello Sport, yet the gap in current playing ability is astronomical.
Pogba will routinely contend for the FIFA Ballon d’Or in years to come, whereas M’Vila needs to critically examine the direction of his career.
M’Vila is being paid six to seven figures a year as a professional sportsman, yet calling him an athlete is the equivalent of saying Milli Vanilli were real singers.
No one expects M’Vila to have the endurance levels of Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad or to run as fast as Christophe Lemaitre.
But M’Vila‘s physical capabilities have alarmingly declined as much as Fernando Torres‘ first-step.
In three seasons, M’Vila‘s tackles per game has decreased by 2.2, his tackles per 90 minutes by 0.5 and his tackle success percentage by 10.1.
During the 2011-12 season, M’Vila was in peak physical condition, starting all 38 Ligue 1 games and averaging 89.5 minutes for Rennes.
This season for Inter Milan, M’Vila averages 30.9 minutes per game in the Serie A.
Then-Inter Milan manager Walter Mazzarri gave a Brendan Rodgers-like backhanded compliment when commenting on M’Vila.
“M’Vila came on well in the second half,” Mazzarri said, per Football Italia. “His fitness levels need to improve, but he was better than expected.”
Better than expected? What is that supposed to mean? Was Mazzarri anticipating M’Vila to gas out after 15 minutes?
If so, talk about setting the bar low. The context being Mazzarri was against Inter Milan signing M’Vila, according to Rai journalist Ciro Venerato, per Radio Crc (h/t Football Italia).
When M’Vila was a starter, he was impactless, as revealed by a tweet via OptaJean.
M’Vila was not prepared at Inter Milan as he self-sabotaged himself at Rubin Kazan.
As the expression goes: Old habits die hard.
He is a €12/£9 million flop, who forced his way out of Russia, according to Rubin Kazan manager Rinat Bilyaletdinov.
“M’Vila behaved badly. One day he trained, one day he didn’t,” Bilyaletdinov said, per France Football (h/t ESPN). “He thought he was already in Liverpool. I told him: ‘It is not your level. If you go, you will be on the bench’.”
Bilyaletdinov should have replaced Liverpool with Inter Milan.
Under Mazzarri, M’Vila started and finished on the bench in three of his first seven Serie A games.
Then M’Vila‘s knee buckled.
He is out of shape which has adversely affected his confidence, his mobility and his ball-winning prowess.
Succeeding Mazzarri, Inter Milan re-hired Roberto Mancini, a confrontational, firebrand, “do it my way or else” manager.
M’Vila Laurent Blanc’ing Mancini in a 4-2 defeat to Roma were the actions of a defeatist.
By trying to humiliate Mancini, M’Vila dared to question the new Inter Milan manager’s authority.
“M’Vila will never again repeat a scene like that,” Mancini said, per Football Italia. “It was the last time.”
To borrow a phrase from the droll Tancredi Palmeri: BOOM!
Despite still appearing in the team photo, Inter Milan have removed M’Vila from their updated squad list.
Out: M’Vila (Rubin Kazan); In: Marcelo Brozovic (Dinamo Zagreb), per France Football and Sky Sport (h/t Calciomercato.com).
According to a tweet via Sky Sport journalist Fabrizio Romano, Brozovic will initially sign on an 18-month loan with the option to extend into a permanent deal.
Brozovic: upgrading; M’Vila: downgrading.
M’Vila is now open to playing for Swansea City or Queens Park Rangers in the English Premier League, per Matt Law at The Telegraph.
So much for being the next Makelele.
When not specified, statistics via WhoScored.com.
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Paul Pogba is one of the hottest talents in football right now and Chelsea have joined the race to capture the outstanding Frenchman.
Simon Mullock of the Mirror says Jose Mourinho will battle Manchester United and Manchester City for the midfielder who is already being dubbed in Italy as “the €100 million man.”
Pogba left United to join Juventus in 2012 after not receiving enough game time from Sir Alex Ferguson in the first team at Old Trafford, and the prodigious talent has not looked back since departing the Premier League.
The player’s £75 million valuation does not appear to be putting off England’s biggest clubs, with Mullock saying the Old Lady are now geared up to sell the 21-year-old.
Mullock also reports Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are all preparing charm offensives in an attempt to grab Pogba, sparking one of the biggest bidding wars in European club football history.
Pogba‘s agent, Mino Raiola, has further fuelled speculation after he refused to rule out a move for his client in the summer transfer window.
“Paul [Pogba] is happy at Juventus but later this year or next year we will see what opportunities have been created. When the league cannot satisfy such a player then it is time to go,” he said, per Mullock.
The midfielder has once again excelled in the middle of the park for the Serie A champions and has six goals in his 16 league appearances, per WhoScored.com.
He has matched the efforts of Juve‘s primary midfielder, Arturo Vidal, in the centre and is sure to surpass his older partner in the coming seasons.
Italian legend Andrea Pirlo told Telefoot (Miles Chambers of Goal.com) he believes Pogba will go on to be one of the greats in the game if his development continues to stay firmly on track.
“Pogba has never stopped improving. He has everything to become a great player. If he keeps his head on his shoulders, he can mark history,” he said.
However, FourFourTwo’s Adam Digby believes Pogba will stay with his team for the immediate future, quoting Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri’s thoughts on the player’s current situation:
In other news, Chelsea will go head-to-head with Liverpool for the services of highly rated Argentine talent Mauro Icardi.
Bruce Archer of the Daily Star reports manager Brendan Rodgers will battle his former boss Mourinho to capture the £30 million player—with Atletico Madrid also keen on his services.
The Inter Milan hit man has been in stunning form in Serie A this year and has scored 10 goals in his 20 league appearances, per WhoScored.com.
But Archer suggests the Special One will only look to add to his squad if any of his players leave, with Andre Schurrle contemplating his Stamford Bridge future at present.
Pogba and Icardi are both top-class young players and the kind of individuals who would bloat the talent pool in West London.
Pogba truly is the outstanding midfielder of his age group in world football and the €100 million nickname is really not surprising.
The French international would give Mourinho a different kind of option in his midfield—fitting between the calm authority of Cesc Fabregas and the explosive attacking play of Eden Hazard.
Pogba‘s capture would guarantee that this incarnation of Chelsea would battle for the top honours for many seasons to come, but the brilliance of the player will certainly not come cheap.
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When Paris Saint-Germain unveiled Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, it felt as if the Sweden striker had finally found his spiritual home. The Parisian attitude and French way of life are almost metaphors for the majestic talisman’s career.
There is no doubt that the move has been a match made in heaven. Into his third season with the club, Ibrahimovic has scored 64 league goals in 80 appearances, won two league titles and lifted the Coupe de la Ligue.
In September 2013, to show his faith in the capital club’s project, the forward signed a one-year extension on his original deal. Ibrahimovic, speaking to the club’s official website, said at the time: “I don’t see a more ambitious club in Europe than Paris Saint-Germain.”
The 33-year-old, who has also played for Juventus, Inter Milan and Barcelona, added, “my wish is that Paris Saint-Germain is my last big club. This club is like me: the dream is never big enough.”
His current contract comes to an end in June 2016. As we enter the second half of the current season, it is clear the player is not the force he once was.
Injuries are beginning to take their toll on the Sweden international, with a recent heel injury keeping him out for six league games, and he hasn’t looked the same player since.
After 13 league games, he has scored eight goals. Although his strike rate is still comparable to his previous seasons, the performances have lacked the same vigour, enthusiasm and influence as seasons past.
Before the injuries took effect this season, there was a feeling that Ibrahimovic could sense his career was coming to an end and that his extension in 2013 could be his last.
The striker will turn 34 years old just two months into the 2015/16 season, and when asked when and where he would end his career, he suggested it would be in the French capital, per ESPN FC’s Julien Laurens:
I have a contract until 2016. I will be 34 next season and I don’t see myself continuing to play at the top level after that. So probably the answer is yes.
I have achieved what I wanted in my career, 100 per cent. I have won 23 titles. Of course, it would be nice to win the Champions League, and I feel I can and will win it.
But if my career finishes without it, I would still be happy and proud.
To fulfil his dream of lifting European club football’s biggest prize, he only has a maximum of two attempts with PSG before his contract ends. The Parisians are set to take on Chelsea in this season’s last 16 and will go into that game as clear underdogs.
The odds would be stacked against the Swede in another 12 months. His influence in Paris is already fading and it’s not likely to improve with time. From the recent drop in his form, it is clear that he can’t face the rigours of playing at least twice a week—sometimes three times in seven days.
Laurent Blanc and Ibrahimovic himself need to learn when the forward can rest to make sure he is as close to 100 per cent as he can be for the games he can play. Only then will PSG be able to get the best out of him.
As it stands, Ibrahimovic is one of the highest earners in football, and with that comes a certain pressure and expectation. If he is unable to play 30 league games a season in his current state, there is really no reason for the Ligue 1 champions to continue paying wages past next summer.
However, the player’s agent, Mino Raiola, recently told Foot Express (h/t Get Football News France) that the 33-year-old could go on to extend his current contract:
He will not want to be on the bench for 28 games a season. But that moment is not now. I would not be surprised if at 40 Zlatan will still be playing. We have decided that we will reflect on the situation season by season, so we are not asking that question at the moment. That he extends until 2018? Everything is possible in life, that too.
Ibrahimovic is already PSG’s highest earner, and there is little chance of Raiola negotiating a new deal with a reduced salary. There isn’t really any way the French club could justify paying the Swede the same money they are now when he is 36 years old.
His fitness is already causing issues. It is only going to get worse, and his ability to be this team’s talisman is beginning to fade.
Without doubt, you play him until the end of his contract if he is still able, but come the summer of 2016, it is time for PSG to end their Ibra-odyssey and begin a new voyage, looking for success without the once great Ibrahimovic.
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Chelsea may abandon a mooted pursuit of Fiorentina winger Juan Cuadrado, in favour of Shakhtar Donetsk playmaker Douglas Costa. The Blues are reportedly prepared to pay £20 million for the latter, per Ed Aarons and Dominic Fifield of The Guardian.
The pair report Chelsea have already made enquiries about the Brazilian schemer, although they also note Shakhtar would want £30 million before sanctioning any sale. At the moment though, Costa is seen as an alternative to proposed £26.8 million target Cuadrado.
There’s some logic to that thinking in the sense Costa is also a tricky attacker who can thrive out wide. However, he’s different to Cuadrado in terms of being more comfortable on the ball.
Where Cuadrado will look to run at defenders and overwhelm them with direct pace and natural power, Costa is a pass-and-move player. He plays a combination game that would work well with Chelsea’s creator-in-chief Cesc Fabregas.
That may suit the more fluid and expansive game manager Jose Mourinho‘s team is playing this season. The Portuguese boss could take advantage of Costa’s desire to move to Stamford Bridge.
Aarons and Fifield cited the player calling the prospect “a dream” and “a unique opportunity,” during an interview with Brazilian publication Globo Esporte. If Costa is so anxious to leave, he could force Shakhtar into accepting Chelsea’s preferred fee.
That would be the best scenario for the Blues for those unconvinced by Costa’s quality. Consider this tweet from Brazil Stats:
A Chelsea move for Costa would surely quash any more talk about Cuadrado. Another report from Fifield and Aarons stated talks continue between Chelsea and Fiorentina. In fact, the reporters suggest Chelsea are making room for Cuadrado by agreeing a six-month loan switch for Mohamed Salah to AS Roma.
For his part, Mourinho has been trying to downplay the Cuadrado rumours. He repeatedly tried to deflect the issue during his latest press conference, as ESPN reporter Miguel Delaney detailed:
Mourinho has also even tried to claim he’s content with his current wide options, including fringe player Andre Schurrle. The Chelsea gaffer stated it would require a “phenomenal offer” before he sells the little-used Germany international, per BBC Sport.
Yet this sounds more like Mourinho attempting to hike the price for a player clearly surplus to requirements. Recently, Mail Online reporter Simon Jones stated Bundesliga club Wolfsburg are ready to offer £23 million, but Chelsea will hold out for £30 million. Mourinho‘s latest words seem like the next step in that plan.
What is clear is that Mourinho is certainly testing the water and casting a wide net in an attempt to freshen things up out wide. Whether the solution he envisages is Cuadrado or Costa remains to be seen.
It also remains to be seen if Mourinho will ever be reunited with Raphael Varane. It was Mourinho who gave the ultra-talented centre-back his big break at Real Madrid.
That’s kept transfer rumours alive during the past two seasons. The latest murmurings have even suggested Mourinho would ditch Varane‘s fellow countryman Kurt Zouma to make way for his former Los Blancos prodigy.
Daily Express reporter Anthony Chapman suggested the Blues would let Zouma join Serie A side Inter Milan on loan if they could land Varane. But Mourinho appears to have rubbished any such idea by stating how happy he is with Zouma‘s progress and ruling out a loan move this month, per ChelseaFC.com:
We bought a talent but that talent was far from ready and at the beginning of the season people were thinking it would be better for him to go somewhere [on loan] and play, but we thought it was better for him to stay and learn here in this habitat where for sure he will be a player for many years. We are very happy with him.
Those comments also coincide with reports of an injury Varane recently sustained in Copa del Rey action. Daily Express writer Anthony Chapman reported the 21-year-old tore a muscle during the cup exit against neighbours Atletico Madrid.
For his part, B/R’s Garry Hayes doesn’t see an imminent move for Varane as very likely:
Although Hayes wisely notes how the Blues could use a young centre-back of Varane‘s quality, particularly amid Gary Cahill’s struggles, it’s safe to assume Varane won’t be leaving the Spanish capital just yet.
Instead, you should focus on what Mourinho does to freshen up his team’s options on the flanks.
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INTER CLUB PAVIA "C'E' SOLO L'INTER" 