Will Villas Boas finally bring a world-class winger to Chelsea?

Having finished a distant second in the race for the Premier League title last season and the team failing to capture a trophy of any sort, Andre Villas Boas must reflect carefully on the areas he needs to strengthen before the start of next season.  Arguably, the biggest area of weakness in Chelsea’s multi-million pound star squad is the lack of a world-class winger.  Only Florent Malouda stands out as a recognised winger, with Soloman Kalou and Nicolas Anelka both preferring to play through the middle as opposed to out wide.

At times last season, Chelsea even employed the likes of Ramires or Michael Essien on the right wing and pushed Yuri Zhirkov into a more advanced role on the left hand side, none of whom possess the attacking flair and menace of a true winger.  Not since Arjen Robben was tearing defences apart over 5 years ago have Chelsea played with genuine width and it is something which Villas Boas may need to address if Chelsea are to compete for the title and with Europe’s elite next season.

Whilst Manchester United for example have added Ashley Young to their array of attacking wide players which include Nani, Antonio Valencia, Park Ji Sung and Ryan Giggs, Chelsea have seemingly focused their attentions on acquiring another striker in Romelu Lukaka.  With reports suggesting that Chelsea have had a bid accepted for the 18-year-old Anderlecht striker, the question would be whether he would stand a chance of getting in the side when the likes of Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Fernando Torres are already competing to start.

Chelsea already boast one of the most fearsome forward lines in world football but the problem is that they do not have the players to provide them with the service they need to score goals.  Drogba and Torres for example would thrive off crosses delivered from wide positions with both of them possessing excellent aerial ability and a physical presence which would worry defenders.  Frank Lampard is also at his best when ghosting into the box and meeting crosses from wide areas so why is it that Chelsea have failed to add top quality wide men to their attacking options?

Barcelona with David Villa & Pedro this season and Bayern Munich with Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery the season before showed just how valuable wingers can be.   Indeed, with the majority of teams lining up with 1 striker, particularly in important Champions League encounters, it is often the wide players who can produce a moment of brilliance, to settle the match.  This value brings with it a high price tag, with Stewart Downing for example, a player who would not even be considered an England regular, costing Liverpool a reported £20 million pounds.  Having spent £50 million pounds on Fernando Torres in January however, Chelsea have proved their willingness to spend big in their pursuit of attacking talent.

Two players who would arguably provide Chelsea with the width and attacking flair, which they are badly missing, are Alexis Sanchez and Eden Hazard.  Sanchez with his trickery, pace and ability to beat players and get to the by-line would provide Chelsea with far greater threat and an outlet down the right hand side.  However, with the Chilean winger reportedly having signed for Barcelona, Chelsea may have missed the opportunity to bring him to Stamford Bridge.  Hazard, at 20, is a less complete player than Sanchez but possesses similar attributes including pace, strength, and the ability to go by players and has the potential to be one of the best wingers in the game.

Villas Boas simply must add some attacking flair and creativity in wide areas if he is to turn Chelsea’s fortunes around and compete with the top sides in Europe.  Closer to home, Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal, all possess greater talent and options in wide areas and with all 3 teams likely to employ a 4-5-1 formation for the big games this season where wide men are key, arguably they are all better placed to compete for the title next season.  Chelsea must move away from relying on the strength and power which saw them dominate in seasons gone by and Villas Boas must make signing a world-class winger his top priority before the season gets underway.

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