Three players Chelsea should sell in January
David Luiz
Given the way in which Chelsea go about their business, transfer windows at Stamford Bridge usually revolve around who’s on their way to Stamford Bridge, not who’s heading for the exit.
This winter, however, should be a period where Jose Mourinho strives to once again build a team of title-worthy aspirations, which unfortunately requires some clearing of unnecessary assets.
For a variety of reasons, be it financial or performance-based, there are a select few who just aren’t cutting it at the Bridge this term and should be considered as surplus to requirements as a result.
1. David Luiz
David Luiz is a figure who naturally splits opinion; there are those who love the Brazilian for his flair and outlandish nature, while others see the centre-back as overly extravagant, especially for one primarily tasked with guarding his own goal.
The defender has fallen drastically from the heights achieved under previous managers and currently boasts the lowest Performance Score of any Chelsea player this season, a dismal -37 not quite signifying his more amicable side.
Therefore, it’s surprising that one still hears rumours of Luiz being a target for the likes of Barcelona, who were linked with a £35 million move for the player over the course of the summer.
Albeit making just five Premier League appearances this term, Luiz has only managed to win three of his 13 tackle attempts, making nine fouls and one mistake that led to his side conceding against Cardiff City.
It’s for this reason that if that offer still stands, the Blues should snap La Blaugrana’s hand off, bury it at the bottom of the Abyss and cite ‘no take-backs’ as law.
In all seriousness, though, the trio of John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill appear to be taking care of central defence between them, so Chelsea need to cash in on 26-year-old Luiz while his signature is at its most valuable.
2. Demba Ba
Demba Ba’s time at Chelsea has fallen way short of expectations, so it’s only suitable that the Senegalese striker also has the lowest average passing distance of any Chelsea player.
Not exactly a hero in interlinking up top this term, the 28-year-old has been neither here nor there in terms of style, not showing the finish of a poacher or the playmaking talent of a strong centre forward.
Ba is tied with Samuel Eto’o in terms of chances created despite featuring in only three games, but then a tally of two scoring opportunities made is only one better than Petr Cech.
As it is, however, the Blues are merely paying the wages of a player who appears to have lost his identity since moving to London, and it’s best to cut the cord at the next opening.
3. John Obi Mikel
John Obi Mikel is a fine example of his kind, but is quickly finding out that being a master of one trade isn’t quite enough to cut it that the top. This was perfectly evident in the 1-0 loss to Everton earlier this season, where the Nigerian international was perfectly spotless in terms of his statistics, but simply had a range too limited to make any actual impact.
One of his more impressive aspects is that this season, Mikel has a pass accuracy of 91%, a statistic made even better when one considers that over 72% of those are forward. However, when the player is constantly the deepest lying of any midfield combination, it’s a lack of cut-throat efforts that tell Mikel’s tale.
The 26-year-old has only made two scoring chances this season and simply doesn’t offer enough going forward to be considered a worthy investment in Mourinho’s squad anymore, especially when Ramires and Frank Lampard are outdoing their teammate in every facet of the statistics.