Why German ace should be Chelsea’s #1 transfer target

Written by Anthony Williams

Chelsea are already being linked with players for the January transfer window and next summer, but should Bayern’s Bastian Schweinsteiger be the Blues’ number one target at the end of the current term?

I personally feel that the Germany midfielder is a perfect fit for Chelsea’s system and would help fill a void which has opened up since the likes of Michael Ballack, Deco, Joe Cole and Juliano Belletti have left the club.

Chelsea have been missing a key man in midfield in Frank Lampard for much of the current campaign due to injury and it is worrying that there is no ready replacement in place. Josh McEachran has won plaudits when he has had the opportunity, but at 17-years of age he needs more time to develop as a player without the pressure of stepping into big shoes like Frank’s.

Schweinsteiger has caught the eye of many admirers during his time with Bayern Munich both domestically and in the Champions League, but it was his displays in South Africa for the 2010 World Cup that led to many calls from Chelsea fans appealing to the west London club to sign the 26-year-old. The Stamford Bridge outfit were even linked to him pre-tournament after Ballack’s departure was confirmed.

The midfielder impressed in South Africa and was in my opinion one of the players of the tournament. He bossed the midfield for a young and exuberant Germany team that ended up finishing in 3rd place, with one of his best moments in the competition being the superb run and low cross which setup Arne Friedrich’s tap-in for Germany’s third goal against Diego Maradona’s Argentina side.

Schweinsteiger has been successful in a deep-lying midfield role, similar to the role played by Ballack towards the end of his time with Chelsea (a role which Jon Obi Mikel has made his mark on), but the Bayern man is also capable of playing a more offensive midfield position or even in a wider role. Due to his versatility he would arguably be well suited to the Blues’ 4-3-3 formation and Ancelotti’s originally preferred diamond option.

He has been at Bayern Munich for the entirety of his professional career, so it could be tough to prise him away and that is made especially hard considering the fact it is Real Madrid who are favourites for his signature should he leave Germany. Roman Abramovich has been rather frugal in the transfer market in recent years, but Schweinsteiger is a genuine world-class talent and could be worth the hefty price tag… I realise under current circumstances this is unikely, but I live in hope.

Schweinsteiger has never really been prolific himself, but can chip in with the odd goal (38 goals in 324 Bayern Munich games). More impressive are the amount of assists he makes (62 in his Bayern career). He has also earned 84 caps for his country and has scored 21 goals.

Who would you like to see the club go for (if anyone) in January or the summer?

This article was first published on TheShedEnder.com – follow him HERE on Twitter!