Jose Mourinho wants to swap Demba Ba for Burak Yilmaz in January…
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho wants to swap Demba Ba for Galatasaray striker Burak Yilmaz when the transfer window reopens in January, reports Turkish Eurosport.
The Blues have traditionally struggled to find a goalscoring forward through the entirety of Roman Abramovic’s reign at the helm, with only Didier Drogba ever proving a true success.
This season, Jose Mourinho has bizarrely sent Romelu Lukaku out on loan, and Fernando Torres, Samuel Eto’o and Demba Ba himself have all struggled to find the back of the net.
It is therefore little surprise to see Chelsea linked with another striker in the winter, and Yilmaz could be the perfect option.
Here’s what he’ll bring to the side:
Goals, goals, goals…
Only Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Falcao and Robert Lewandowski have scored more than Burak Yilmaz in European football over the past two seasons. The Turk has scored 67 goals in all competitions for Trabzonspor and Galatasaray, which is an outstanding record for any striker.
Regardless of the level of the Turkish league, Yilmaz has shown the ability to put the ball into the back of the net in frightening regularity, unlike Torres, Eto’o and Ba. Between the three of them, they managed 33 league goals last term, while Yilmaz managed 24 all on his own. Interestingly, Ba actually scored 15 Premier League goals for Newcastle and Chelsea last term, but is seen as the most expendable of his current forward crop.
Champions league pedigree…
For those worried that Yilmaz could only score goals in the undemanding Turkish leagues, think again. The 28-year-old scored eight times in Galatasaray’s Champions League run last season. Only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi scored more times than him, helping his side reach the last eight where they lost to Real Madrid.
A striker in the peak years of his career…
Don’t be fooled by Yilmaz’s age – the striker is currently in his peak years. A footballer (especially strikers) normally enjoy three of four seasons during their career when they are at their very best. Yilmaz is 28-years-old, but has only been playing at anything near a European pedigree for three seasons.
It took Yilmaz until he was 26-years-old to finish a season with over ten goals, and he hasn’t looked back ever since.
In the previous five years, the forward had only made a shoddy 55 league appearances for a number of small clubs, before Trabzonspor saw something in him and snapped him up.
For any Chelsea fans doubting this theory, look no further than Didier Drogba. The greatest striker in the club’s history is still playing at a high level because it took him until he was 23-years-old to even play in France’s top division, and then until 26-years-old before he moved to Chelsea.
A powerful striker with brilliant technical attributes…
While Fernando Torres can finish, he lacks technical attributes. While Demba Ba is powerful, he lacks work-rate and consistency. While Samuel Eto’o has a proven track record, at 32-years-old, he is finding it difficult to adapt to the pace of the Premier League.
Yilmaz though has all the attributes a modern striker needs. He is combative, hard-working, but possesses ability in possession of the football that none of the current Chelsea strike crop have. He can also drop deep and play in between the lines, and unlike Mourinho’s current forwards, has a deadly freekick, too.
Not only will Yilmaz provide goals against top opposition, he will join in with the intricate build-up play Chelsea’s attacking midfielders begin, and have more than enough nous and desire to get back on the end of the move.
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