With Xabi Alonso becoming the Chelsea manager, one would imagine that the squad is set to undergo some changes. Some might be out of the manager’s control. For example, it looks like both Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella could be heading for the exit door. Initial reports had suggested that the Spaniard wanted them to stay and even viewed them as part of a leadership group he could trust.
But the tone around the duo has changed lately, especially when it comes to the Argentine midfielder, who is wanted by Manchester City this summer. Enzo Maresca is set to become their manager with Pep Guardiola stepping down after a decade of success. Of course, Fernandez was a favourite of the Italian at Stamford Bridge and he appears to be keen on a reunion already.
On the other hand, Alonso will have his favourites too. We have already talked about Alejandro Grimaldo and Edmond Tapsoba of Bayer Leverkusen. Now, rumours have emerged regarding a Real Madrid player as well.
According to YSscores (via Speedline), Alonso is interested in bringing Arda Guler to Chelsea this summer. Real Madrid could consider offers for the Turkish wonderkid, with his transfer valuation starting at around €100 million.
Is Guler to Chelsea even realistic at this point?
Guler was an integral part of Alonso’s Real Madrid team. And it is not hard to understand why the Spaniard might be keen to bring him to Chelsea as well.
But as things stand, that seems like a bit of an unrealistic move. Yes, Guler is a phenomenal talent and would improve this squad. But at the same time, it is hard to imagine that Chelsea would be willing to shell out anywhere close to that €100 million figure.
The club simply do not have that kind of a budget, having missed out on Champions League football again and not had a steady front-of-shirt sponsor for years at this point.
In fact, their financial issues might be one of the reasons why they might not try hard enough to prevent the potential departures of key first-team players like Fernandez and Cucurell. Those exits could fund their summer business.
Never say never in football
It would be a mistake to rule out a move completely either. Anything can happen in football. Real Madrid themselves might be staring at a rebuild on a major scale and might need to let someone like Guler go to raise funds for that.
That €100 million figure might be unrealistic for Chelsea at this point. But if that comes down, perhaps they might be in the mix.
Then again, what would signing Guler mean for players like Cole Palmer and Estevao. It just feels like far too many similar profiles at the same time.
Trying to bring in someone like Kenan Yildiz might be a better move. Chelsea do need someone to come in from the left and cause opposition teams problems. The likes of Alejandro Garnacho, Jamie Gittens and Pedro Neto simply have not been effective enough in that role.
Sourav Mahanty
Sourav Mahanty has covered teams like Chelsea, Celtic, Real Madrid, Manchester United, PSG and more over a career that has now lasted a decade. His work has been featured on Sports Illustrated, Athlon Sports, SB Nation, FanSided, The Sportster and aggregated through Bleacher Report and NewsNow. Outside of football, he is also interested in basketball, cricket and professional wrestling.
View all articles →