Neymar was one of the most sought after players of 2013. His move to Barcelona was a bit unexpected considering the Spanish side rarely invest in such expensive players and focuses on using their own academy as a player source. According to Metro, the Brazilian refused to move to London preferring to play alongside Messi and Iniesta. The 21 year old was also courted by Bayern, Real and City who would have probably all paid more than Barca did.

Chelsea and City were the most generous when it comes to the player’s salary and transfer fee. Even so they did not manage to sign Neymar. To be fair, the Brazilian would have had a tough time adapting to the Premier League. The physical nature of English football could have been too much for the 21 year old Brazilian who had some problems adapting to La Liga which is not even close to what the Premier League has to offer in terms of roughness and endurance.

Neymar should have been Abramovich’s gift to Mourinho when he returned to Chelsea. The Russian club owner who is known for his enthusiastic transfers and his admiration for Brazilian football wanted to sign Barcelona’s current player in order to build his team surrounding a South American backbone made up of Luiz, Ramires, Oscar and Neymar. Unfortunately for the Blues, the 21 year old was more interested in collaborating with Messi rather than with his national team colleagues.

Barcelona’s player would have been a great transfer but Chelsea seem to be doing just fine without him. Even if Neymar has managed 3 goals and 6 assists in his first 11 matches, people still wonder if he could have delivered the same efficiency when facing adversaries like Vidic, Vermaelen, Skrtel or Kompany who always physically dominate their opponents. Players like Hazard or Schurrle seem a lot better suited for facing the demands of the Premier League. Even more so, Chelsea now have an excellent team and all they need is a striker that can reliably turn assists into goals.