Kroos would make Chelsea’s midfield look phenomenal…
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Respected football journalist Jan Aage Fjortfoft reckons that Chelsea are desperate to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Toni Kroos, and will move heaven and earth to sign him in the summer…
Spoke to an insider in Munich. Said Chelsea apparently have told Bayern to “name the price” for Toni Kroos. Told player “wages no problem”
— Jan Aage Fjortoft (@JanAageFjortoft) January 27, 2014
The 24-year-old midfielder’s contract expires at the end of next season, and has so far rejected Bayern’s extension offer.
Of course, Bayern could flatly refuse to sell their star midfielder, and the player could similarly sign a new deal, but we’ve taken the liberty of seeing how Kroos would slot in at Stamford Bridge anyway!
Where does Kroos play?
Kroos is equally comfortable in a deep-lying playmaker position, where he can pick the ball up from the centre-halves, or in a slightly more advanced, more traditional central midfield spot.
His passing ability enables him to play either of these positions with ease, although his creativity and powerful shooting means he is perhaps better used playing ahead of the midfield anchorman.
Toni Kroos’s strengths, characteristics and statistics: (WhoScored)
Like all of Bayern’s players, Kroos is technically exceptional. He can receive the ball in any area of the pitch, and is comfortable enough to make the right decision and select the correct pass to help his side retain possession. He’s completed 91.8% of his passes this season in the Bundesliga, which only a handful of other European midfielders can match.
The German is combative, meaning he can break up play and intercept possession, but prides himself on playing intricate key passes in the final third. He regularly takes Bayern’s set-pieces, and possesses a fiercely powerful long-shot – although he’s only scored once this term in the league.
Physically, Kroos is not particularly quick, nor he is especially strong – but his exquisite touch enables him to position himself between the ball and the opposing player so that this is rarely a problem.
How could he fit in Chelsea’s team?
(Here at fanatix, we’re pretty sure Chelsea will sign a new striker in the summer – so we’ve left that spot blank for now…)
In this side, Serbian midfielder Nemanja Matic provides the platform from which Toni Kroos can dictate play in midfield.
With Oscar, Willian and Eden Hazard ahead of him, Kroos can use his exceptional passing ability to not only feed his playmakers, but also set the tone of the team’s attacks.
However, Jose Mourinho has enjoyed using Ramires this season, and it could be that the Brazilian box-to-box midfielder will be included in the lineup (especially in bigger games).
With Ramires included, Mourinho would likely drop one of his attacking midfielders to accomodate the battler.
This would in turn push Kroos further up the field, giving him an even more pivotal creative role in the side. He would have the added defensive protection of an extra holding midfielder, meaning he could maximise his creative instincts in a no.10 role, while Oscar, Willian, Salah or even Schurrle could stay wide on the right.
The quality of Chelsea’s midfield looks truly exceptional with the Bayern gem included…
Whether they will actually be able to pull off the transfer in the summer is a different matter, of course…
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