Van der Wiel appears to have his heart set on Valencia
by Stephen Schmidt on Jan 5, 2012 3:53 PM GMT
in Chelsea FC: Transfer Rumours & News
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Gregory Van der Wiel has long been rumored to be an eventual target for Chelsea FC. Those of you who have been reading the blog for a while have no doubt seen him profiled or attached to the club any number of times. With AVB becoming the latest in a long line of managers who have struggled with finding a good long term solution at right back here at Chelsea, it would make sense that we'd have some renewed interest in the Dutch right back. Still just 23 and having somewhat of a down season with only 18 months left on his contract it appears Van der Wiel would fit the youthful buying policy and probably be a fairly reasonably priced buy. Unfortunately for Chelsea, it appears the club may have waited a bit too long to make this move.
As far back as last month it was pretty clear that Valencia had some interest in the player, and Van der Wiel even went on record as saying he and Valencia had agreed to personal terms should the clubs work out an agreement. The clubs haven't yet agreed to a fee for the young dutchman, but VdW's agent is now doing his best to warn off other clubs from entering the fray. In a recent interview Hakim Slimani was quoted with the following statement:
Maybe Ajax are hoping that another club will make an offer, but Gregory has already made his decision, and wants to join Valencia
It does appear Valencia is in line to receive quite a bargain on the defender. I can't really see the deal stalling over 2 million Euros, especially with the public pressure that VdW and his agent are now putting on the club. While I could certainly see Chelsea trumping the Valencia offer for the player, Ajax is reportedly insisting on keeping him through the spring so I'd be very surprised if he's a legitimate target this January anyway.
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im fairly disappointed but....
Meanwhile, the Blues are lining up a £12m move for Marseille right-back Cesar Azpilicueta, 22.
Full story: Daily Mirror
If this is true it will make up for it!
by Adeyo on Jan 5, 2012 4:07 PM GMT via mobile reply actions
It's going to be right back Thursday here I think
I’m profiling him later on, but there may be some other right back food for thought as well…
by Stephen Schmidt on Jan 5, 2012 4:11 PM GMT up reply actions
VdW said so himself a few weeks ago...
He wants to be 100% assured of a starting place, something both Chelsea and Man City can’t offer him.
And he would be a starter at Valencia : they only have one proper RB, Miguel, but because of his discipline off the pitch he has been suspended. So yeah ciao Greg.
Azpilicueta was good his first season, injured the next and is slowly rising. But he ain’t the best RB in France : Debuchy is, and by far
How would he not be 100% assured of a starting place here?
We currently have no good right backs. He’d be in even if he wasn’t as good as he is.
He'd have it at Chelsea
He’d likely lose some matches to squad rotation, but I can’t see him starting less than 30 pl fixtures a season for Chelsea, especially as we’d very likely unload bossman if he were to sign.
Missed out on VdW then? :(
Would have suggested Nicolas Otamendi from when he was playing in Argentina. At Porto now,I guess,not sure how he plays now…Azpilicueta is very good-as long as he’s fully recovered from that bad injury he had!
by Avinash Mohan on Jan 5, 2012 4:37 PM GMT via mobile reply actions
IIRC, Otamendi plays at CB
For Porto.
1970 - 1984 - 2010
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He started out at RB
Even played there for Argentina in the World Cup,though that was not a great display of his talents…guess he got converted to CB at Porto,then.
by Avinash Mohan on Jan 5, 2012 5:55 PM GMT via mobile up reply actions
The Argentina NT is not a good display of anyone's talents
by Al Benson on Jan 5, 2012 11:52 PM GMT via mobile up reply actions
Not even
He was pretty bad during the Copa America
by Al Benson on Jan 6, 2012 9:51 AM GMT via mobile up reply actions
What the hell is up with that anyway
Why do world class players all suck in that setup?
by Stephen Schmidt on Jan 6, 2012 5:38 PM GMT up reply actions
Bad managers, and bad defenders
Maradona had no clue about defensive tactics, and neither did Batista. The fact that they both failed to call up the likes of Coloccini and instead picked Demichelis or Burdisso also shows they didn’t evaluate personnel properly.
Sabella has time on his side, but he needs to build from the back with the right players, and then get a functioning midfield together that doesn’t lose possession but also knows how to get the ball to the front line – Pastore is still a bit-part player, despite the fact that he’d be the best option if you want Messi to score and not just create. More chances for the other attackers will lead to goals. But they need the ball a lot more often.
Dude, Maradona was awesome
Reminded me of the times when someone’s perpetually drunk Dad would coach our local side.
Oh don't get me wrong, I found him thoroughly entertaining
But he just wasn’t very good. Kinda like Ian Holloway, really.
Really thought that Jose Pekerman should have stayed on
After the 2006 WC…he seemed to have set up the team in the right way. And spot on about the midfield-how’d you expect a midfield with Mascherano,Banega and Cambiasso to do anything more than keep the ball? Pastore needs a look-in. Higuain,though,is quite prone to missing easy chances.
by Avinash Mohan on Jan 7, 2012 7:04 AM GMT via mobile up reply actions
Yeah, Pekerman's departure sucked
The best way to fix a good striker missing a whole heap is to give him more chances. He can’t miss them all! To Higuain’s credit, he has been improving lately, and his partnership with Messi looks promising. But it’ll be useless if their own defence keeps getting carved open. I’m a big advocate of pushing Mascherano to CB (which opens up a spot in midfield for Pastore) and getting him a good partner like Coloccini, because frankly Demichelis, Burdisso and Otamendi aren’t cutting it.
Aguero!
Yeah-I’m still sort of a Sergio Aguero advocate on this one-he seems to bring a lot more to the pitch than Higuain. Though he is even better as an impact sub. Pushing Mascherano back is a great option-but his type of play will be particularly good in midfield-I say drop Cambiasso,maybe,put in Pastore,call up Coloccini with Burdisso in defence.
by Avinash Mohan on Jan 7, 2012 2:37 PM GMT via mobile up reply actions
Yeah, there's a heap of talent up front, lots of tough decisions
It all depends on formation really, but I cant say I’d disagree with putting Aguero in there. He just tends to be more of a second striker / in the hole player, rather than Higuain who is your classic 9. In a 4-2-3-1, you could have Higuain up top, with Messi and Di Maria on the wings and Aguero in the hole (nominally CAM), which leaves out Pastore, and causes the same problems as before.
Argentina has quite a few defensive midfielders playing over there, like Rodrigo Brana (who was called up recently), so I think Masch could be easily replaced by someone at CDM. The problem is some fast wing play or long balls can bypass the CDM, and then if you have useless defenders, the team is screwed. That’s why I think it’s more important to Mascherano at CB – to break up some dangerous plays that he wouldn’t be in a position to do at CDM.
The kid is going to have nightmares playing in La Liga...
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Staff writer for Managing Madrid & Sounder At Heart
I don't know
Obviously he’s going to have his work cut out whenever he has to play one of the big two, but I don’t really think the likes of Bilbao and Atletico are all that much for him to worry about. If Barca and Real weren’t the superclubs that they are La Liga probably wouldn’t be holding down a top 3 spot in the coefficients.
by Stephen Schmidt on Jan 5, 2012 5:09 PM GMT up reply actions
Good point's all around..
…still — there are the varying degrees of physicality between the two leagues. And La Liga I think is a bit more speedy than the Premiership.
Follow me on twitter@PrixFixeOnline
Staff writer for Managing Madrid & Sounder At Heart
Can't blame him
Valencia, even with their financial mess, are genereally the best non-Real/Barca club in Spain. He’ll get a chance to play. Life along the Med coast with beautiful Spanish women has to beat dreary, rainy London (no offense to English women or Londoners there).
Porto full-back Jorge Fucile(just a rumor) & PSG goalie Salvatore Sirigu(reports in Italian & French media) have emerged as Chelsea targets...
The goalie will be offered a deal in summer(a replacement for Hilario??!)
Don’t know much about the Jorge-Chelsea rumors…
I think you can safely rubbish that one
With Turnbull in tow as a backup and Walker, Taylor, and Courtois on the books (not to mention Blackman) I think that one is pretty easily garbage. I just don’t see us singing a non-homegrown emergency keeper when we already have several.
by Stephen Schmidt on Jan 5, 2012 7:05 PM GMT up reply actions
He'd be one of the best at that position in England (if not the best) the second he arrived
There aren’t a whole lot of quality right backs in the country (or anywhere) at the moment, but he’s still one of the better ones out there.
by Stephen Schmidt on Jan 5, 2012 7:40 PM GMT up reply actions
Kyle Walker isn't even close
He makes for some awfully exciting highlights with his forward runs, but his defending is pretty laughable most of the time. He’s a nice prospect going forward, but he’s not really all that good yet. The fact that he’s been playing for England is making so many people overrate him. Micah is about the only player at that position in the Premier League that may have a legitimate argument there.
by Stephen Schmidt on Jan 5, 2012 9:56 PM GMT up reply actions
Kyle Walker has looked pretty solid, IMO. Sure he gets caught every once in a while,
but that’s what you’d expect from a young defender. Looks the business to me.
He's certainly a good young prospect with loads of potential.
He’s just nowhere near the caliber of Van der Wiel yet. VdW has pretty securely established himself as one of the best right backs anywhere. Walker is a young exciting prospect in a league virtually devoid of top level talent at his position.
by Stephen Schmidt on Jan 5, 2012 10:26 PM GMT up reply actions
Not to me
I think if you asked a Spurs or Villa fan what they think of Walker they’ll almost all tell you he’s not even a right back
by Graham MacAree on Jan 5, 2012 10:43 PM GMT up reply actions
The master is back ;)
Hey Graham…congrats buddy!
Cheers,
Rohi D
by Rohi D on Jan 6, 2012 3:25 AM GMT via mobile up reply actions
It's alive!
Welcome back Mr. Married. Hope the first week of married life has been stellar.
Did you, in fact, run this past a Villa fan just to be sure?
Not sure where you’d find one of those, though…
Inexperience is a valid excuse aint it? That's why we let Luiz slide when he
does some utterly stupid things.
Its bcoz we all love DL more than spuds love walker...not to mention the 2 rules !
Cheers,
Rohi D
by Rohi D on Jan 6, 2012 3:27 AM GMT via mobile up reply actions
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