Chelsea Want Brazilian Playmaker, Neymar
Chelsea have had a bid rejected for Brazilian sensation, Neymar by his club Santos. The club released a statement saying that they received an official proposal from Chelsea for the rights to Neymar but since the club has no intention of selling the player, the bid, believed to be around 20 Million Euros (16.7 Million Pounds) has been turned down. The fact that the club has said they have no intention of selling Neymar most likely just means that they want Chelsea to increase their offer, something the West London club should do if they want to sign the young forward.
Neymar has lit up the Brazilian league in the last two seasons; scoring 40 goals in 74 appearances, making him one of most highly rated youngsters present in Brazil at the moment. A number of European clubs have been linked with the forward including A.C. Milan and Real Madrid but it seems that the English Champions have put their foot down and will bring the player to the club.
Neymar made his debut for Santos on 7th March, 2009 after joining the club nearly 6 years ago. Playing through the youth and reserve teams and making his debut at the age of 17, Neymar quickly established himself as one of the most consistent members of the side, starting the most games and helping his team win the Campeonato Paulista. Neymar has also won individual honours, including the Best Young Player Award in 2009 and the Best Player Award in 2010, which shows how he has progressed within the span of a year.
There was a lot of controversy when Neymar was excluded from Brazil’s World Cup squad by the former Coach Dunga, who was accused of ignoring the best players in Brazil and favoring playing from Europe. Dunga, however, stated that Neymar’s performance at the International level did not convince him that he deserved a place in the Brazilian squad and although talented, he still had a long way to go.
The fact that Neymar is yet to prove himself should not deter Chelsea from signing him because he is still only 19 years of age and has a long way to go. Getting him now also means that Chelsea will have to pay much less in terms of transfer money than they would once he establishes himself as one of the best players in the world.
After the departures of Michael Ballack, Joe Cole and the likely departure of Deco, it makes complete tactical sense for Chelsea to sign a young player who could provide creative input to the team. Ever since Arjen Robben was sold to Real Madrid, Chelsea have lacked a genuine dribbler in the team, especially since Joe Cole, when he was there, struggled with injuries throughout and so Chelsea have had to rely on the attacking abilities of the full backs to create space for the strikers and midfielders. The last and perhaps the most important reason for pursuing Neymar is that he is still only 19 years old and in an ageing squad, adding an exciting youngster will help the team improve a great deal.
Chelsea will be hoping to conclude this bit of transfer business soon so that Neymar is able to join up with the squad at their training ground, which plays an important role in new players quickly settling down, and if that does happen, the Premier League will have the pleasure of watching one of the most exciting players of his generation.
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