Chelsea ready to offer Courtois in Falcao chase

 

The Mirror is today reporting that Chelsea are preparing to use their keeper, Thibaut Courtois as a bargaining tool in their pursuit of Atletico Madrid’s, Radamel Falcao.

If true, I see this as another example of the short-sightedness that has hindered their prospects of mounting a concerted challenge to Manchester United’s continued dominance of the English game.

From the outside looking in, the club have all the tools necessary to compete with United and now City at the top of the Premier League but this season they have again failed to consistently ascend to the levels required.

You don’t need to be an expert to draw the conclusion that two managers per season isn’t helping the progression. Even if, as appears the case, the owner is doing the bulk of the purchasing, a manager will still need time to impose his system and beliefs on the squad.

Signing Falcao on the surface would seem a no-brainer. He is a centre forward that scores lots of goals whilst at present they have a centre forward that doesn’t.

The Colombian though is 27-years old, not old by any means, some would say at his peak but I would give him three maybe four years max at the top of his game with Chelsea. Would he be difference in winning them the title next season? I don’t think so. The defence and midfield require too much attention for that to happen.

I’d say best case scenario for Chelsea over the next four seasons would be if they won the Premier League once, why then not look past that and look to contend for the next fifteen, twenty years.

Courtois is already considered by many as the best young keeper in the world, his displays for Atletico have some hailing him the best in La Liga, yes ahead of Casillas.

Chelsea should be at the stage where they are playing the long game, if they sacrifice the young Belgian it will send the wrong message. If they keep him he could be the foundation on which their team is built for years to come.

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