#Chelseas tough call-Let me guess how Mo will handle this. Chelsea have a hard decision to make. They have to lose one of their foreign players before the transfer window closes to comply with the requirements of the Premier League and Uefa when it comes to the composition of a clubs squad. Chelsea have one too many foreigners over the age of 21 right now and cannot name more than 17 non-home grown players in a maximum 25-man squad. Chelsea have 18 and one must be sold or loaned. But who can go? Logic dictates, looking at the balance of the Chelsea squad, that it is certainly one of their three foreign goalkeepers. And the most obvious one is Petr Cech, even if manager Jose Mourinho is publically - and privately - adamant that he wants the 32-year-old to stay, regardless of losing his place to Thibaut Courtois. Chelsea have eight defenders - so would not want to lose one - and, nevertheless, need some of their younger Under-21 players to fulfil the criteria for the Premier League. They only have three strikers and, although it is entirely possible that Fernando Torres will be sold, it is just as likely that his replacement will be a foreign striker. That leaves the midfield where Chelsea have 10 players. It could therefore, logic dictates, be one of Oscar, Eden Hazard, John Obi Mikel, Andre Schurrle, Ramires, Mohamed Salah, Nemanja Matic, Marco van Ginkel or Willian who will have to go before the window closes. That is some decision for Mourinho to make. Of that group Oscar, Mikel and Van Ginkel would appear the most likely candidates. But surely it makes more sense for one of his goalkeepers to go if the right deal can be struck? There are only three home-grown players: John Terry, Gary Cahill and Cesc Fabregas (from his time at Arsenal), while goalkeeper Jamal Blackman and defenders Kurt Zouma, Nathan Ake and Andreas Christensen all qualify for the Premier League squad as U21s. The home-grown rules are curious. For example, last season at Chelsea, Patrick van Aanholt, born in SHertogenbosch, Holland, who joined the Blues in 2009, still qualified as a home-grown player while Ryan Bertrand, born in London, who joined Chelsea in 2005 from Gillingham, did not. The problem for Bertrand is that he had been sent on loan too often. Bertrand, of course, is back on loan. At Southampton.
Posted on: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 17:12:14 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015