Chelseas recent midfield woes are plainly visible the team is missing a Regista or a deep-lying playmaker. While we may not have used a DLP in recent years, it was the power and the directness of Mourinho's midfield which recovered the ball and transferred it forward.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Ballack Lampard<br /> <br /> Essien/Makelele <br />Now that was a formidable midfield. Essien or Makelele or sometimes both together gave us defensive security while Ballack pushed the ball forward and Lampard invariably got on the end of it. But now, Ballack is retired, Essien is playing make-shift Rightback for his Daddy at Real Madrid and Lampard has lost the physical attributes that made him such a dangerous midfielder.<br /> <br /> With the post-Mourinho team we are building, Chelsea have failed to control games this season, usually relying on counter-attacks to create goals. How often have we seen David Luiz look up and see no option for a short pass and then extravagantly decide to lump it forward? This uncovers the root of the problem i.e the inability of the team to retain the ball for long periods, and thats where a DLP will help. <br /> <br /> <br /> The FA Cup final last season is a striking example. In the last 30 mins of the game, our defenders were desperately trying to repel every Liverpool attack when the better solution would have been to hold the ball and slow the tempo of the game. We have been linked with play-makers in the past. Remember Ancelotti wanting Pirlo? We laughed it off then but look how he has turned out for Juventus now. Then there was the summer-long Modric saga at the start of last season. We thought we dodged a bullet with Modric but recently in the game between Real Madrid and Manchester United, he came on and changed the course of the game. Of course, the price of £40 million may have put us off but then we went out and bought Raul Meireles on transfer deadline day deepening our midfield problems more than repairing it.<br /> <br /> Last season, in the midst of our summer overhaul, I genuinely thought we would sign a deep-lying playmaker but eventually it did not happen. Some argued that Oscar could play there but during the course of this season, he has played in the pivot only once in the game against Sunderland where he looked good going forward but was unsure on what to do defensively. Kevin de Bruyne was another option talked about but he is a defensive liability in the pivot and prefers to play higher up the pitch. So now, with Lampard leaving, I think its high-time the club acted on this issue and brought in a deep-lying playmaker to supplement our hard-working midfielders and we have a precious few across Europe who fit the bill<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> 1. Joao Moutinho Portos midfield general, who came so close to joining Spurs last summer, has been a talismanic figure at the Portuguese champions ever since AVB bought him from rivals Sporting to replace the outgoing Raul Meireles. In his first season at the club, he was a pivotal figure as Porto won the treble of the domestic league, cup and the Europa League, going unbeaten throughout the season.<br /> <br /> He was impressive in the European Championships last summer although Ronaldo stole the limelight for the Selecção. He is a great passer of the ball, evidenced by his impressive 82.5% pass-success rate at the Euros, and gets into good pockets of space in midfield. He is not known for his goal-scoring ability and has only scored 3 goals this season but what he lacks in terms of goalscoring, he makes up for it with his technical brilliance. Chelsea have 3 midfielders who have hit double-digits in-terms of goals this season. So its not like we need more goals from midfield. Moutinho instead acts as the engine room picking out clever passes with the ball at his feet and also chasing around and closing down when not having the ball. His defensive ability puts him above other DLP's.<br /> <br /> Contract till 30.06.2015<br /> <br /> Transfer Value £25 million<br /> <br /> Did you know? At the age of 20, he became the second-youngest man ever to captain Sporting Lisbon<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> 2. Luka Modric The subject of a summer-long transfer saga back in 2011 has had a mixed season at Real Madrid. He brings the same set of skills that Moutinho does but his 4 years of Premier League experience at White Hart Lane could tip the scales in his favour.<br /> <br /> He completed more successful passes than anyone else in the 2011-12 Premier League season 2215. Well, anyone(Joe Allen reference) can make successful passes by passing sideways or back to the defence, but Luka also made most successful passes in the opposition half with 1756 and all that with an incredible pass-success rate of 87.4%. He has shown a keen eye for playing long balls 7.9 per game which highlights his playmaking skills. He has also scored a few spectacular goals during his time at Spurs. Infact, all 4 of his goals in the 2011-12 season came from outside the box.<br /> <br /> The one problem with signing Modric is that he doesnt offer much protection to the defence. He can certainly harry and chase the ball around. Interestingly made more interceptions per game than Yaya Toure in the 2011-12 season but my praise for his defensive ability ends there. His strength is poor and he is not much of a tackler. Also, his aerial ability is comparable to Juan Mata. With Chelsea reliant on 2 players in the pivot screening the defence, signing Modric may leave the team open in midfield but with a more defensive player alongside him like Mikel perhaps, there is no reason why he couldnt solve the Chelsea midfield problem<br /> <br /> Contract till 30.06.2017<br /> <br /> Transfer Worth £30 million<br /> <br /> Did you know? Mark Viduka, the Australian striker who played for Leeds United, Newcastle United and scored the winner against Chelsea in 2006 while playing for Middlesbrough is Lukas second cousin.<br /> <br /> <br /> 3. Beñat Extebarria The 26-year old Real Betis midfielder was linked with a move to Chelsea in the January transfer window and although we didnt sign him then, the move could happen this summer. Benat, much like Modric and Moutinho, is a deep-lying playmaker but the value of signing him is that he is a good £10 million cheaper than Modric or Moutinho. Also, you dont break into the Spanish NT midfield if youre not half decent. <br /> <br /> He has scored 4 goals and bagged 7 assists(Only Iniesta, Fabregas and Messi have more) in 24 appearances this season and is the creative hub of the Betis team. He makes on average 51.7 passes per game and key passes (1.5 per game). His passing and technical ability makes him one of the best midfielders in the La Liga today. He also has a penchant for long balls - 5.1 per game<br /> <br /> He is an asset defensively as well. He has an average of 2 tackles and 2.7 interceptions per game. Beñat may not be the more talked about option but he is certainly a good deep-lying playmaker. At 26, he is in his prime and at his price, it could be a great piece of business if we sign him<br /> <br /> Contract Till 30.06.2014<br /> <br /> Transfer Value - £15 million<br /> <br /> Did you know? Betis lost both games that Benat missed this season while they are yet to win in the 4 games when he hasnt started. <br /> <br /> <br /> You can visit http://www.footballscores.com to keep up to date with the latest betting odds on who is to join Chelsea in the summer!<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> stats and data compiled from whoscored.com <br /><br /> Click here to view the article
