Rumoured Xabi Alonso

[Styles 9,790]

If Alonso comes in he would pair up with Ramires, his athleticism is a good fit to make up for Alonso somewhat mobility issue.

Ideally i would rather have us sign Moutinho. I have been a fan of him for so long, since his early days at Sporting Lisbon, he has it all for me; creative, great passer, good work rate, and very good defensively. He is like a mini version of Schweini.

I wouldn't complain if we sign Alonso, but wouldn't be ideal.

Did you just call Khedira technically gifted?

Bayern and Dortmund won almost every 1 on 1 duals they were superior all over the pitch, the midfield was just one of them.

Those technically gifted midfield have steamrolled lots and lots of physical superior midfields btw.

Anyway who do you suggest we sign for our pivot?

Partnering Alonso with Ramires wouldn't hide his deficiencies, it'd just double Ramires' workload.

Here's some comments from Gary Neville (who is one of the most insightful people in football today):

Having watched a lot of Champions League football this season and having been at Borussia Dortmund's 4-1 win over Real Madrid on Wednesday, it is clear that modern football is ever-changing and getting better.

For me, the best teams in the world are now taking even more risks and playing with incredible energy. They are the teams that attack in great numbers and then get back into their defensive shape the quickest.

It's about responding the fastest, both mentally and athletically. The basic principles of going forward as a team and getting back as a team haven't changed. But more players are going forward than ever; and responding and recovering quicker to get back.

And no team exemplify that change more than Borussia Dortmund. They were stunning on Wednesday, and I don't use that word lightly. It wasn't that they had more ability or that we saw some of the greatest players of all time, as we do in Cristiano Ronaldo or Leo Messi.

What was stunning was that this group of young men have the energy, intelligence and quality that only the exceptional teams have.

At this level, the technical ability and talent are a given. But it is their energy and organisation that make the difference.

Bayern's 4-0 win over Barcelona, though similar, was subtly different: they overpowered Barcelona. But Dortmund were just too quick for Real.

They made them look old and slow, yet they're neither. This is no mug of a Real Madrid team - and it's not impossible they could stage one of the greatest comebacks in Champions League history.

Real Madrid were scintillating last year when they won the La Liga title with Spanish football at its peak. But Dortmund just ran them off the pitch.

Alonso isn't ideal so why settle? I don't know who I'd buy but I sure as well wouldn't bring in a slow 31 year old midfielder on massive wages. We should be moving away from slow players to high-energy dynamic midfielders. They exist. The club should identify them.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Partnering Alonso with Ramires wouldn't hide his deficiencies, it'd just double Ramires' workload.

Here's some comments from Gary Neville (who is one of the most insightful people in football today):

Alonso isn't ideal so why settle? I don't know who I'd buy but I sure as well wouldn't bring in a slow 31 year old midfielder on massive wages. We should be moving away from slow players to high-energy dynamic midfielders. They exist. The club should identify them.

This is the point though - is there a 22-25 year old midfielder out there that we could get who does what we need? I'd have loved us to have gotten Martinez, but lets not forget the guy cost €40 million and we're talking about a 'cut-price deal' for Alonso. He's a short-term option but sometimes you need to go for that when there aren't obvious long-term options readily available (there's a cluster of players like Witsel, Moutinho, Benat etc. that are all likely to be more expensive and are relatively unproven).

He's definitely an option and when we've got players like McEachran and Oscar (who I still don't think is a wide player) at the club, maybe the long-term option comes from within.

[English Freak 456]

Partnering Alonso with Ramires wouldn't hide his deficiencies, it'd just double Ramires' workload.

Here's some comments from Gary Neville (who is one of the most insightful people in football today):

Alonso isn't ideal so why settle? I don't know who I'd buy but I sure as well wouldn't bring in a slow 31 year old midfielder on massive wages. We should be moving away from slow players to high-energy dynamic midfielders. They exist. The club should identify them.

I don't know if Alonso is the right way to go....but in terms of Real Madrid midfielders, Mourinho should bring Khedira with him. Young, energetic, decent aerial ability...he'd provide another option for our CM/DM positions.

[Spike 12,049]

Partnering Alonso with Ramires wouldn't hide his deficiencies, it'd just double Ramires' workload.

Here's some comments from Gary Neville (who is one of the most insightful people in football today):

Alonso isn't ideal so why settle? I don't know who I'd buy but I sure as well wouldn't bring in a slow 31 year old midfielder on massive wages. We should be moving away from slow players to high-energy dynamic midfielders. They exist. The club should identify them.

How often does Chelsea actually play against a team like Dortmubd though?

[Styles 9,790]

This is the point though - is there a 22-25 year old midfielder out there that we could get who does what we need? I'd have loved us to have gotten Martinez, but lets not forget the guy cost €40 million and we're talking about a 'cut-price deal' for Alonso. He's a short-term option but sometimes you need to go for that when there aren't obvious long-term options readily available (there's a cluster of players like Witsel, Moutinho, Benat etc. that are all likely to be more expensive and are relatively unproven).

He's definitely an option and when we've got players like McEachran and Oscar (who I still don't think is a wide player) at the club, maybe the long-term option comes from within.

Yeah a Martinez type player would be the ideal. He cost €40m but he was 23 when they bought him. Bayern have a top player for the next decade. The fee is great when you look at it that way. It's like Hazard for £32m. We've got a quality young player for a very, very long time.

If I was a betting man I'd go with there being a player in that age range that fits what we're looking for. The problem is identifying them. The pivot has been a massive problem for us all season and with Rafa forced to playing a CB in that position perhaps the club have already been scouting.

I think if Oscar was to play in midfield it'd be more like Lampard's old role in the 4-3-3. The most attacking with licence to join the attack but still with defensive duties. I can't see him as one of a two man midfield as that would limit his game. McEachran is a terrific technical footballer but he lacks the athleticism. As sad is it I'm really struggling to see a role for him as a first choice player. I think long-term players like Chalobah, Loftus-Cheek, Baker and Swift could make for great central midfielders. They're all strong, athletic and good technically.

[Styles 9,790]

I don't know if Alonso is the right way to go....but in terms of Real Madrid midfielders, Mourinho should bring Khedira with him. Young, energetic, decent aerial ability...he'd provide another option for our CM/DM positions.

Youre right, he'd be a better option than Khedira in terms of competing physically in midfield. Not as a good a passer though so there's that as an issue.

But if Mourinho wants to bring someone with him I'd take Varane.

[Styles 9,790]

How often does Chelsea actually play against a team like Dortmubd though?

If you want to be competitive at European level you will run into teams like Dortmund and Bayern at some stage. Just like we continually ran in Barca in their prime.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Alonso isn't good enough to play for Chelsea where we desperately need a player like him but he plays regularly in the greatest international team of the last 10-20 years or if you believe it, of all time. Ok then. How does this work?

There's a reason Madrid want to get rid of him.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Xabi only has one year left on his contract. If we can get him for £10m, for instance, as a two- or three-year option, you can't really say no, can you?

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Xabi only has one year left on his contract. If we can get him for £10m, for instance, as a two- or three-year option, you can't really say no, can you?

My fear is that that will prevent us from signing a long-term solution for that position. Don't get me wrong, 10m for Xabi to come and be a squad player would be amazing, but we've had a lot of problems with this particular position, and have had several stop-gap solutions a la Meireles, and I think it is time we get some one who can solve this problem for a few season to come and that definitely isn't Alonso.

[Severinb 309]

Yeah a Martinez type player would be the ideal. He cost €40m but he was 23 when they bought him. Bayern have a top player for the next decade. The fee is great when you look at it that way. It's like Hazard for £32m. We've got a quality young player for a very, very long time.

If I was a betting man I'd go with there being a player in that age range that fits what we're looking for. The problem is identifying them. The pivot has been a massive problem for us all season and with Rafa forced to playing a CB in that position perhaps the club have already been scouting.

I think if Oscar was to play in midfield it'd be more like Lampard's old role in the 4-3-3. The most attacking with licence to join the attack but still with defensive duties. I can't see him as one of a two man midfield as that would limit his game. McEachran is a terrific technical footballer but he lacks the athleticism. As sad is it I'm really struggling to see a role for him as a first choice player. I think long-term players like Chalobah, Loftus-Cheek, Baker and Swift could make for great central midfielders. They're all strong, athletic and good technically.

We should do the same and buy witsel for 40m and we would have a new DM for the next 7-8 years. Mou has been interested in him for a long time so i am dreaming that we could get witsel

[different level 1,056]

Right now he looks like a brilliant short term signing. However I fear he'll start a sharp decline the moment he signs for us and I'm sick of ex-liverpool flops...

[OneMoSalah 8,883]

There's a reason Madrid want to get rid of him.

because he wont agree a new deal... and their idiots just like with Makelele. They think if they get Ancelotti they will get Verratti too, which I have to be honest, I see Verratti going back to Italy more than to Real Madrid. Juve, Napoli, Inter, Milan were all interested and if he goes anywhere I'd see it being Italy.

Plus Alonso apparently wants to leave because of the divide in the dressing room.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

because he wont agree a new deal... and their idiots just like with Makelele. They think if they get Ancelotti they will get Verratti too, which I have to be honest, I see Verratti going back to Italy more than to Real Madrid. Juve, Napoli, Inter, Milan were all interested and if he goes anywhere I'd see it being Italy.

Plus Alonso apparently wants to leave because of the divide in the dressing room.

But you can't really compare Alonso to Maka who was probably the best DM of his generation. Anyway, like I said above, Alonso is not the long-term solution we should be looking for and you just know that if we sign him we won't get anyone else for that position.

I've heard a lot about Verratti, bu from what I've seen, he's the Pepe of midfield! Needs to sort out his attitude if he wants to make it.

[The only place to be 11,313]

There's a reason Madrid want to get rid of him.

There's 2 possible reasons. One is that he's out of contract in 12 months and hasn't signed the extension that has reportedly been offered to him. The other is that Florentino Perez is still the same idiot who let Makelele walk out the door a decade ago.

My fear is that that will prevent us from signing a long-term solution for that position.

That's a fair point, but I'm not sure who this mystery 'long-term solution' is right now.

I think we need to figure out what's going to happen to Oscar. He could be our Modric and he's looked handy whenever he's played there. The same goes for McEachran - I really can't think of many clubs where he could go on loan and get the role he needs. Then there's a few dark horses like Swift and Baker, and further down the line I know everyone's got high hopes for Loftus-Cheek.

In the market, I don't know if there's one player that everyone thinks is the one we need. This is why a stop-gap like Alonso has such appeal. Of course we shouldn't go back to our policy of buying predominantly 30+ year old players on big wages, but if there isn't a younger option then why not wait until there is and in the meantime give some of our homegrown players a chance?