Chelsea agrees with Real Madrid on Ricardo Carvalho
After a long summer of discussions, Chelsea finally agreed with Real Madrid to sell their defender, Ricardo Carvalho, after a payment of €8M.
Although, the speculations were built around Carvalho throughout the summer, but he was never the first choice of Jose Mourinho, Madrid’s coach. Mourinho wanted to sign Maicon, from Inter Milan. However, the discussions collapsed a few days before, as Real Madrid failed to meet the demands of Inter Milan.
Throughout the summer, Ricardo Carvalho showed his desire to join his old manager, Jose Mourinho. He repeatedly showed his desire to join Real Madrid. So, after the failed attempt to sign Maicon, Real Madrid immediately contacted Chelsea to finalize the deal. Now, Carvalho will join Madrid after agreeing to a contract and passing the medical tests. This will be his third tenure under Jose Mourinho. Previously, he has won the Champions League for FC Porto, during Mourinho’s tenure. Also, he has won two English Premier League titles, with Mourinho’s Chelsea.
Carvalho is 32 years old right now, while his playing days at Chelsea were numbered. He did feature in 22 matches for Chelsea, last season, despite a long injury in the end. However, he is being replaced by a younger and more energetic Alex. Alex’s other partner will always be John Terry, while Carvalho’s role would have been reduce to the bench. Therefore, when he asked Chelsea’s permission for transfer, he was readily given a green signal. After that, his desire to rejoin his old mentor took him to Real Madrid.
Although, Carvalho might have been a second choice for Chelsea, but his services were needed at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea has a strong defence, with a lot of quality players, but Carvalho was a good substitute for them. In case of injuries to any central defender, the position will be weakened in the absence of Carvalho. Carvalho was slightly older and slower than the other two defenders, but he was still the best in tackling and defending. Therefore, his qualities will be missed, unless Chelsea decides to buy a new defender.
Apart from his defensive abilities, Carvalho is also known for his smart and intelligent play. He can be often spotted as committing a foul in penalty area, but owing to his cheekiness he would always get away with it. This kind of defender is always a great asset to the club. Although, there is not enough football left in the Portuguese, but he still had his little spark.
Maybe, this transfer might prove fatal for Chelsea, but it will definitely improve Real Madrid’s squad. This will be Mourinho’s first defensive signing of the season, and once again he has looked towards one of his own apprentice.
Defence is the major problem of Real Madrid at the moment, while Carvalho will support them with quality and experience. Despite his short stature, he is exceptional in the air, which makes the opposition’s attacks from wings as worthless. Apart from that, he will be making a partnership with his Portuguese teammate, Pepe. The understanding between these two players will be strong, as they have the experience to play alongside in International matches. Therefore, Carvalho will not take long to adjust, while his understanding with Mourinho will also help him to quickly adjust to the new atmosphere.
The only problem with Carvalho is that he does not have a lot of matches, under his belt, during the last couple of years. He missed a lot of action because of injuries, which will be a concern for Mourinho. So, one cannot consider Carvalho as an equivalent to someone like Maicon, but he is still the second best option available to them.
Although, Carvalho has been added to the squad, but the defensive problems, in Real Madrid, still exist. Therefore, before the closing of transfer window, it will be better for Mourinho to sign another defender, in order to improve his chances of success.
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