Chelsea Set To Say Bye Bye To Ba

Chelsea Set To Say Bye Bye To Ba

Jose Mourinho has begun his revamp process at the club, and has reportedly given Demba Ba the nod to find a new club, and the Senegalese striker has already held talks with Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala over a proposed move.

Chelsea are working on multiple transfer deals, in order to bring top players in, and to move the players with less quality out of the club. Mourinho faces a big challenge ahead, but has already started the groundwork behind the scenes. The striker’s position is a vital concern for the manager, and he has to ensure the perfect combination is deployed in time for the next season. The club faces a daunting task of participating in multiple competitions throughout next season, and the depth of the squad is of prime importance. Arguably, the two priorities for Mourinho and Roman Abramovich will be the Barclays Premier League and the UEFA Champions League, and to succeed, Mourinho will have to buy a star striker.

Ba was touted as a bargain-buy last winter when the Senegalese was bought for a fee in the region of £7 million from Newcastle United. However, given the presence of Fernando Torres, Ba’s appearances were restricted. Also, the club’s midfield combination of Juan Mata, Ramires and Eden Hazard had diverted Chelsea’s approach from a club depending on its strikers, to a club depending on its attacking midfielders.

In his short stint at Chelsea, Ba scored 2 goals in 14 Premier League appearances for the club, but did not really deliver to the Stamford Bridge faithful, as a nasty broken nose did not help him. Also, given the club’s continuing talks with Napoli over the purchase of Edinson Cavani, it is likely that considering his age, Ba may be surplus to requirements for Mourinho.

Chelsea fans will look forward to seeing Romelu Lukaku play his first full season at the club as a first team member, after the Belgian showed impressive form away on loan at West Bromwich Albion.

According to ESPN, Ba was reportedly offered a return to West Ham United, but the striker has turned down that chance, as he looks to Anzhi for a new challenge in Russia.