Rumour is that Hazard was told the club are in deep talks with Modric, VDW and Hulk. Hazard apparently told this to the same guy that said his radio interview would be at 16:40 on RMC today so it is pretty credible. Marvin Martin (excellent player btw) was apparently shown round the Europa outfit's ground and my personal view is he'd being linked up as a replacement for Modric. I know he is 26 but the guy IMO is easily one of the top 3/4 midfielders of his type in midfield, let's be honest he would comfortably walk into any team in the world and improve them (even Barca and Real IMO). I've followed Modric since the Euro 2008 qualifiers and was raving about him even then, he ran the show against England at Wembley and I was gutted when he went to Spurs in the end. As much as Hulk would appeal to me I'd prefer Modric, haven't seen much of VDW but he doesn't excite me. After the World Cup everybody was raving about him but he seems to of fallen off the radar and from what I hear is only a slight improvement on Bosingwa.
What i can tell about VDW is that he had a great 2008-2009 season and since then hasn't done much. Still lifting on that season. Last season was very poor: uninspirinng, complacent and didn't show much creativity on the pitch. Great solid RB but needs to be pushed and motivated alot. If in good form and spirits he's one of the best RB in the world. A transfer to Chelsea could do wonders for his attitude and morale but if he is going to be a benchwarmer, he's not going to be an improvement to the team.
Thanks Cove appreciate your comments, btw as you follow Dutch football how do you think Vertonghen would fair in the PL?
The Van Der Wiel thing has Emenalo written all over it... Seems to be the easy option, and in most cases that's not the best one. Why aren't we being linked with the likes of Azpilicueta or Corchia who are a couple of years younger and arguably better defensively as well as strong going forward
Vertonghen is similar to Vermaelen, scores alot, is quick, but his most favorite action is to take the ball, run with it towards the oppositions box and shoot. He scored about 8 goals last season, most of them from long shots and free kick. Can take insanly driven free kicks, i can look up a few vids on youtube and post them ehre if you want. But to keep it short, he's more of an attacking defender(sounds weird does it?) but can defend aswell. He is tough, has great stamina and his decisionmaking is great, can still make some errors at time but he is mentally extremely stable. Would be a great addition to any top team in europe. Wouldn't suit Spains competition though because counter attacking football can be a bit tricky for him as he is not agile.
Yikes, that's tough to say. He is one year younger then Vermaelen. I think Vermaelen has better footing, first touch and agility. I must say i haven't seen Vermaelen in action in ages, but in potential, i'd rate Vertonghen higher. Vermaelen has proven himself in the EPL, Vertonghen is a blank sheet in the EPL. On experience Vermaelen is better. I think you get my point in this decision, it's a comparison that can't be made untill Vertonghen played a full season in the EPL. Now here the vids. [video=youtube;qKbqg9LwRyk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKbqg9LwRyk[/video] Compilation: [video=youtube;pSaTH8192R0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSaTH8192R0[/video] Compilation 2: [video=youtube;MgFKV6sfhPs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgFKV6sfhPs[/video] Vertonghen in a top match, Ajax vs AZ Alkmaar: [video=youtube;J6YViQ2cbu4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6YViQ2cbu4&feature=related[/video]
I didn't hear any references to this on CTV tonight! Hulk's the laddie I'm keen to see at our place! Once we've got him on board , I really dont care who else gets signed!
I'm pleased we seem to be tying up our targets nice and early......although that will make the last few days of the window boring Although we can see who Spuds and Lafferpool try to sign on a freebie.
Hulk would be a really great signing for Chelsea. Can't really understand why we need an expensive right back when Hutchinson and Kane are ready to rock. We should bolster our really weak positions first, as with Hazard, De Bruyne and hopefully Hulk, and trust the good kids, like those mentioned plus Josh, Bertrand and Piazon in the back up positions. Modric for a realistic price, not £30 or £40 mill would be a good buy too. In an earlier post I said he was not good enough, but on reflection I was wrong. When on the case, he has great vision and an excellent penetrating pass to his forwards. We could then move on Meireles and Benayoun. Interesting times
I can't see you guys getting Modric, not with Hazard, Mata and probably Hulk in your side. Modric won't get first team football in your team and the £30m+ that Levy will want will put Chelsea off (which is, of course, his aim).
I think modders has missed his chance worth Chelsea now. He will got to united for 25m. Levy's big gamble has failed, he should have cashed in last season
