Chelsea fail in Willian bid; surely they don’t need more midfielders?

Shakhtar Donetsk manager Mircea Lucescu has claimed the Ukrainians have rejected a big money bid from Chelsea for midfielder Willian. The Blues have previously expressed an interest in the Brazilian midfielder, having had a bid of around £17m for the 23-year-old turned down back in January. It follows up reports that the West London side have agreed a deal with Internacional for compatriot Oscar.

It will follow up the respective arrivals of Marko Marin and Eden Hazard earlier this summer, as Chelsea continue their summer recruitment drive. However, with the departure of Didier Drogba, a replacement for the Ivory Coast star is surely the main priority for manager Roberto Di Matteo? The powerful front-man recently secured his big money move to Chinese Super League outfit Shanghai Shenhua, ending his eight-year association with Chelsea.

A move for FC Porto front-man Hulk was mooted last month, but all interest has since cooled in the run-in to the Olympics, of which the striker is part of the Brazil set-up. Nevertheless, a striker should be a priority for the Champions League holders, especially with Salomon Kalou and Romelu Lukaku expected to leave either permanently or on-loan.

With the latest bid for Willian, the Blues are in danger of overloading the midfield. With Hazard and Marin joining the likes of Frank Lampard, Kevin De Bruyne, Juan Mata and Ramires at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea isn’t in desperate need of bolstering the position. They should be focusing more on addressing the striker situation, despite the re-emergence of Fernando Torres. That isn’t to say Willian is a bad player, but they to be looking at strikers rather than midfielders following their early summer business.