Modric Move Mooted Again But Do Chelsea Really Need Him?

Chelsea’s long term admiration and chase of Tottenham’s midfield maestro Luka Modric seems to be on again as Roman Abramovich looks to hijack Real Madrid’s move.

Chelsea’s move for Modric or Modric’s transfer in general holds the key to this summers transfer window. Tottenham will use the Modric money to sign Adebayor from Manchester City which will in turn allow City to sign Robin Van Persie and finally Tottenham will look to sign Porto’s Joao Moutinho as a replacement for the departed Modric.

It has also been suggested new Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas is keen to link up with Daniel Sturridge once more, as he was arguably the only player which flourished under AVB during his ill-fated time at Stamford Bridge.

It’s reported Tottenham will make an offer of around £5m for the forward but it would seem more logical that Sturridge would be involved as part of any deal that would see Modric arrive at Chelsea.

Sturridge is not admired by all Chelsea fans and divides opinion amongst the Stamford Bridge faithful with some wanting to give the young Englishman time and see him play in his ‘favoured’ centre forward role where as some see him as too selfish and easily replaced. Modric on the otherhand is wanted by majority of fans at Stamford Bridge as they see him as the missing piece of the puzzle in their midfield.

The question is, do Chelsea really need Modric?

Assuming Roberto Di Matteo sticks to his very successful 4-2-3-1 formation this season Modric can only fill two positions in this formation, either in central midfield next to a holding player or just off the striker in the middle of the three.

Now assuming Mikel, Essien and Romeu are going to be used as the holding players who is Modric’s competition? Frank Lampard is the obvious competition, Raul Meireles is another contender where as McEachran seems a little less likely but assuming Chelsea strike deals for Moses and/or Hulk then Ramires may be considered another midfield option.

In terms of playing just off the front, I don’t see this as Modric’s best position but also competition here is fierce with Mata, Hazard, Hulk, Moses and Marin all able to operate there.

So in terms of ‘needing’ Modric in terms of personnal then I’d say Chelsea don’t need him. But what does Modric offer which the others do not?

Modric has an unbelievable knack of finding space and time on a football pitch which allows him to not only pick the right passes but also pick killer passes and dictate play, much like Pirlo did for Italy at Euro 2012. It would be hard to find another midfield player similar to Modric as he also possesses a great dribbling ability which most playmakers such as Pirlo, Xavi etc. do not, this allows him to work his way out of tight situations easily.

In terms of what Modric would bring to Chelsea’s midfield then I’d say they do need him as none of the current squad offer the same as he does. If Modric was to be signed then I feel Meireles would have to be sold otherwise their would be too many players to keep happy.

From a personal point of view, I am a huge admirer of Modric and would love to see him in a Chelsea shirt and have been wishing it since this saga began last summer. He did have a poor run of form during Spurs slump last season but didn’t he recapture his form at Euro 2012.

Chelsea fans, would you like to see Modric at the Bridge next season? And would you want to use Sturridge as part of the deal or prefer to see both at Chelsea next season?