Who will be the players that will pack their bags and leave Stamford Bridge through the January transfer window? In Part I we looked at Chelsea's transfer targets (found here) but in Part II we look at Chelsea players who are transfer targets to other clubs! These include Juan Mata, Demba Ba, Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, David Luiz and surprisingly John Terry. Who will actually make the move and who will stay? Well none of us can be 100% sure what boss Jose Mourinho and owner Roman Abramovich are planning, but we surely can predict and analyse!
John Terry
Age: 33
Nationality: England
Contract Expiry Date: 30/06/14
Let’s take out Terry from the beginning as he is the least likely player to leave Stamford Bridge. John Terry has been a one-man club for years and based on current form our best player from the club’s old guard. With his contract expiring at the end of the season, it’s normal for him to be linked to several clubs. Terry has been linked to Turkish club Galatasaray who were believed to offer him a two-year contract with an option of a third in a deal that would earn him £3.2million a year after tax. Süper Lig club aborted the mission after Terry reportedly rejected leaving mid-season.
Verdict: The former England captain is not expected to leave anytime soon and will most likely be offered a one-year contract extension. All links of John Terry leaving the club shouldn’t be taken seriously.
Eden Hazard
Age: 22
Nationality: Belgium
Contract Expiry Date: 30/06/2017
Eden Hazard is an exciting player to look and has been impressive in his time so far at the London based club. The Belgian international has 6 goals and 6 assists in 16 Premier League appearances with 9 goals and 14 assists in 34 Premier League appearances last season. Hazard has been linked with PSG who Daily Express and others suggest are set to offer €40million for the player. The Parisian club first wants to sell Javier Pastore, Ezequiel Lavezzi or Lucas Moura before looking at Hazard.
Verdict: Hazard made the move from Ligue 1 side Lille to join Chelsea in 2012 and won’t make a move back to the league to join Qatari club PSG. The player is currently happy in the Belgian revolution at Stamford Bridge and isn’t looking to leave just yet!
Juan Mata
Age: 25
Nationality: Spain
Contract Expiry Date: 30/06/2016
Juan Mata was voted as Chelsea Player of the Year for two years straight after world class performances. As soon as Mata was benched for a couple of matches he was labeled as Mourinho’s B team player and was instantly linked to leave. The Spanish international was benched and criticised for not working hard enough in defence, putting clubs on red alert. Rumours are linking Juan Mata to PSG who are reportedly set to offer him £35million.
Verdict: Despite rumours of Mata unhappy he won’t be making the move this January. Mata only missed 5 Premier League matches this season out of 16. Mourinho doesn’t want to sell any major players mid-season and Juan Mata is a key player for the Stamford Bridge faithful.
David Luiz
Age: 26
Nationality: Brazil
Contract Expiry Date: 30/06/2017
Luiz has been linked to Barcelona after his first season at Chelsea. The Catalan club are looking for a centre-back and David Luiz is the perfect player for Barcelona’s type of play. With below-par performances this season, Barcelona have been monitoring the situation. Despite his inconsistency at times, David Luiz is a phenomenal defender who isn’t unhappy at the club.
Verdict: Anyone would dream of a move to Barcelona, but the La Liga club won’t pay an exorbitant fee for the Brazilian international. Chelsea won’t sell for cheap so I don’t see a deal happening in January. With the World Cup around the corner it seems he is more than happy at his current club.
Demba Ba
Age: 28
Nationality: Senegal
Contract Expiry Date: 30/06/2016
Demba Ba hasn’t been our star performer bagging in goals week in week out. He isn’t the dangerous Ba of Newcastle and always personally thought it was wrong bringing him in. Ba has 1 goal and 3 assists in 8 Premier League matches so far this season. With Fernando Torres and Samuel Eto’o ahead of him, he is expected to make a move away from Stamford Bridge. A couple of Turkish clubs are interested in the 28-year old and is reportedly linked to West Ham and Arsenal. With Chelsea interested in Fredy Guarin, Inter Milan are looking at the strikers' situation.
Verdict: It’s predicted that Demba Ba will be ending his Chelsea journey if the club brings in a striker during the transfer window. Being the club’s 3rd striker, a new forward will not do any help for the Senegal international.
Kevin De Bruyne
Age: 22
Nationality: Belgium
Contract Expiry Date: 30/06/2017
Kevin De Bruyne – where do we start? Signed from Genk in 2012 he was loaned out to Werder Bremen on a season-long loan where he bagged in 10 goals in 32 Bundesliga appearances. De Bruyne is a very hot prospect at the moment but doesn’t seem to break into Mourinho’s starting 11. So far this season he appeared 3 times in the Premier League with an assist and 6 matches in other competitions. Here is where the dilemma comes in. Belgium coach Marc Wilmots warned Kevin De Bruyne that he may not earn his World Cup place if he keeps getting benched, urging him to make a move. The 2014 World Cup is coming up and Wilmots wants his players to have constant play to keep the rhythm going. On top of it, Chelsea teammate Eden Hazard advised De Bruyne publicly to also leave Chelsea if it harms his World Cup chances. If De Bruyne decides to leave, many clubs will go in for the player - especially in the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen, Schalke and Wolfsburg all interested
Verdict: It’s not an easy situation. De Bruyne is a very talented player with a bright future but can Mourinho convince him to stay? Does Mourinho want to keep him? Will De Bruyne decide to quit or stay and fight for his spot? Many questions to be answered before a proper verdict can be made. Undecided but what do you think will happen?
