Florent Malouda. A name that instantaneously causes a chasmic divide in opinion amongst supporters of Chelsea Football Club. Let us take a moment to rewind. 2010 was Malouda's year. An integral part of Carlo Ancelotti's double-winning side of 2009/10, Malouda began the following season in ridiculously sublime form. Not only was he a dead-eye in front of goal, but his all-round game was making him a fans' favourite. His ability to create something out of nothing; a talent borne out of good ball retention and a surprising amount of upper body strength, was a key cog in the Chelsea machine. Defences had no answer to him, whilst commentators were fast running out of superlatives to describe his performances. Either side of that, however, the best you could describe the £13.5 million man as is "inconsistent". Fair enough. Yet "useless" has also carelessly been bandied about by those people who measure output in the basic currency of goals and assists only, rather than by the less noticeable yet still imperative denominations of the game; such as team ethic, versatility and professionalism. This is a man who has played in two Champions League finals at club level for Chelsea, reached the knock-out rounds umpteen times with both the Londoners and his former employers, French giants Olympique Lyonnais. At international level, he has contested a World Cup final. His shining pedigree is there for all to see. As is his impressive trophy haul. Playing on the big stage so often - albeit with varying degrees of success - does not happen by accident. Regardless of what people say, you have to be good to consistently feature at the highest of levels in professional football. By his own admittance, Malouda has blown hot and cold. His first season in English football began extraordinarily well; he netted on his competitive and Premier League débuts for the Blues before an early change in management from Messrs Mourinho to Grant left the Frenchman in a state of limbo. His performance levels dropped, and they remained below his usual Ligue Un Player of the Year standards until the arrival of Guus Hiddink in early 2009. Whereas under Luis Felipe Scolari Malouda had been a bit-part player, Hiddink re-installed him as a constant in his starting line-up. The improvement was clear to see. The goals began to flow and the spark of ingenuity that had marked him out as one of European football's bright attacking sparks soon returned. Remember - this was a player signed to replace Arjen Robben. His signing was no mere trinket purchase. Finally he was producing the goods his hefty wages demanded. Whilst his exploits under Hiddink may well be best remembered for his goalscoring and creative capacities, my fondest memory of Malouda in 2009 was against Liverpool, in the Champions League. It was that ridiculous evening in April at Stamford Bridge. I was sat alongside my dad in the Matthew Harding Stand, and with the Blues currently 3-4 down on the night and the game heading into the closing exchanges, I remember seeing the Frenchman call upon his deepest reserves of willpower to motor down the wing. You could see the energy sap with every stride, but on he raced as he attempted to close down the Liverpool full-back. Fully 60 yards he ran to charge down a loose pass. He forced the player into playing a hurried clearance. Less than a minute later, Frank Lampard swung his right boot and Chelsea were 7-5 up on aggregate. It had all stemmed from the sheer determination of the Frenchman. That point onwards, Malouda only continued to excel. Carlo Ancelotti produced the best out of him, whether as part of a midfield 'diamond' or in a wider berth. Not only was he scoring goals regularly; they were important goals. He was creating chances and forming partnerships all over the pitch - in attack with Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, and on the left with Ashley Cole, also. He had become an indispensable part of the side to such an extent that he was one of the first names down on Ancelotti's team sheet. His productivity continued to soar with an impressive start to the following campaign, but whilst it was a season that began with so much promise for both player and team, it ended in nought but disappointment. Malouda had slowly been pushed out of the side with the arrival of Fernando Torres. The Spaniard's £50 million price tag dictated that. Appearances became more and more limited under Ancelotti's replacement, also. Andre Villas-Boas had spent big in bringing in Juan Mata, and Florent found himself warming the bench more often that not. Even so, you can still only call the 2011/12 season a successful one from Malouda's perspective; a healthy return of goals scored and assists created - all in spite of very limited time on the pitch - points to his experience and quality. With a year left on his contract, people are up in arms over his future. The split is in favour of the Frenchman calling it a day on his Stamford Bridge career, but there is still a vociferous support in his defence. You must first consider the player that Malouda is. He has never been blessed with blinding pace, nor has he had the tendency of getting chalk on his boots and whipping in crosses from the bi-line. It has never really been his style of play. The Robben Replacement was something of a misnomer; he and Robben could not be more alike as players. Malouda is a slower, more powerful animal. His upper body strength is considerable, yet he still is fleet-footed enough to wreak havoc in the opposition penalty area. His crossing ability is also criminally underrated, and - unfortunately - underused. Maybe that is why he is so maligned? This is a man who fit well into Ancelotti's 'diamond', because that is a more natural position for the Frenchman. He is no winger. He is simply a wide midfielder. Roberto di Matteo's preferred 4-2-3-1 is one that suits Malouda and his versatility. Let us be quite clear here - Chelsea Football Club will be contesting seven competitions next campaign. As talented as the interchangeable attacking triumvirate of Oscar-Mata-Hazard may be, they will not be able to feature in 60 matches this coming season. Injury, possible suspension and certain rotation will see to that. That means that a reliable core of squad players must be called upon - and there is a concrete case for Malouda's inclusion. A common argument is that Malouda takes up part of the foreign quota in the Chelsea side, and that his place would be better served by a youngster, such as Kevin de Bruyne. But let's not kid ourselves here - Prince Harry is nowhere near the finished article. Talk of a loan move to Werder Bremen is supposedly on the cards for the young Belgian, who would do well to earn himself a slice of regular first team action for a massive side in one of the world's most competitive leagues. Bremen have just lost one versatile, creative midfield player in Marko Marin, and de Bruyne would certainly stand a chance of improving. He has tonnes of technical ability and the confidence to match it - but a season at Chelsea in 2012/13 would be akin to the one endured by Romelu Lukaku this campaign just past; a wasted one. It would be awful to allow his potential to rot in such a fashion. Malouda has a single year to run on his contract - by the time it expires, de Bruyne has a slot to fit straight in to by the summer of 2013. In the meantime, the youngster stands a great chance of regular first team football, whilst more immediately, Chelsea have an experienced, versatile warrior to call upon. Malouda is equally effective in a wide role as he is in a central midfield position - something that could prove crucial when John Mikel Obi and Michael Essien are called away on African Nations Cup duty in the winger. In addition, an ill-fated tie with Internazionale in the San Siro demonstrated we also have a fall-back full-back option should the situation arise when Ashley Cole or Ryan Bertrand are not available. Marko Marin may flit nicely into the side, but Yossi Benayoun and Josh McEachran certainly will not, for quite contrasting reasons. Benayoun is sure to find another club and young Josh is not quite as near to the 'finished article' as some of us predicted. Gael Kakuta is borderline awful, Lucas Piazon is nowhere near ready, and Romelu Lukaku has hardly been convincing in his pre-season exploits and previous cameo appearances. Whilst the new boys adapt to the Premier League, the wily old campaigner is entering what will be his sixth season with the West London side. Malouda is the ageing Gladiator; the victor of a thousand battles. His sword may no longer be as sharp as it once was, and he may lack the speed and ferocity in his swing, but he is still a deadly opponent. His shooting ability has not deteriorated and his tenacity and impressive work rate have again been proven in what was a half-decent pre-season for the Frenchman. Where his younger colleagues have the pace and the trickery but not necessarily the end product, Florent instead has a canny knack for being in the right place at the right time. His understanding with Ashley Cole on the left of the Chelsea attack cannot be underestimated, either - the partnership between the pair has long been a cornerstone to success in Chelsea sides of recent season. His hefty experience means you can throw him in at the deep end and he would not be fazed. He is the sort of man who would gratefully accept the challenge. Try and put it into context - a Champions League knockout tie in the Bernabeu awaits. Juan Mata and Eden Hazard are out with injury. Who would you rather play in the Lion's Den? Most youngsters would freeze. Malouda would bring his A-game. That is the difference - experience. He is tried and tested. You can invest as much as you want in youth policies, but the key ingredient to a winning formula is to accommodate those who have been there, done it and got the t-shirt to boot. An ageing core remains the pivot-point of this Chelsea side. The players around them are ever-changing, but still, Petr Cech, John Terry, Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard are the irreplaceables. By all accounts, you can add Malouda to that list. There is nothing to lose with his inclusion in the squad. When you weigh it all up - his work-rate, his end product, his versatility and most crucially that previously-preached mass of experience - you appreciate the player. This is a man with incredible pedigree. Once again - you do not feature at the top level for so long without being good. Malouda might not be as good as he once was, and it would be a step too far to imagine him tearing full-backs to shreds again. Nevertheless, a man who has given so much to the Chelsea cause over the years deserves his final swansong. The case may well prove that Malouda moves on - rumours are currently pointing to a return to France, or a crack at South American football in Brazil with Vasco de Gamma. If he stays, though, there should be no moaning or cursing. What it all comes down to is the old adage; that form is temporary, and that class is permanent. Malouda has class. Heaps of it. Remember that, and what he has achieved in a glittering career, before you lament his inclusion.
I'm not sold on Cavani. Obviously he is an incredible forward, but I really don't think he'd suit the di Matteo tika-taka system. Part of his success at Napoli is functioning in the counter-attack they play. I think because he is physical like Drogba, people are expecting him to be a similar sort of player, but he is almost totally different. Great aerial prowess, yes, but he is a South American forward. Very much so a penalty box poacher, as opposed to the all-round beast that Didier is.