CESC FABREGAS is heavily booed when he faces Arsenal.
Olivier Giroud is yet to play his former club after joining Chelsea but he may get the same reaction as the Spaniard.
Gunners fans, understandably, aren’t keen on ex-players who’ve joined the Blues.
However, there could be a third man heading across London this summer, according to reports at least.
The Mirror claim Chelsea are monitoring Aaron Ramsey’s contract situation and are willing to make a move at the end of this season.
The Wales midfielder’s deal at the Emirates runs out in June 2019 and if the Gunners don’t cash in they risk losing him for nothing.
With that in mind, we asked our friends at Football Whispers whether the 27-year-old would be a good signing for Antonio Conte’s side.
It’s no surprise to see the Blues look at midfielders.
They spent £75million last summer to cover Nemanja Matic’s departure for Manchester United, yet often look weak in the centre of the pitch.
Danny Drinkwater has hardly set the world alight after his switch from Leicester, but the real disappointment has been £40m man Tiemoue Bakayoko.
MORE FOOTBALL FEATURES
His performances have been poor and he’s been criticised by Blues legend Frank Lampard.
He said at the beginning of the year on Match of the Day: “His body language is slow, he sticks half a leg out at the ball.
“Fans will stick with you if you have a reaction and urgency but he’s not moving quickly enough and he has to switch on.
“You can have a dip when you come from another league but we are in January now and I really think he needs to start picking up.”
After that, Bakayoko was sent off against Watford in a disastrous 30-minute cameo which saw him endlessly misplace passes, make clumsy challenges and constantly lose possession.
It was one of the worst performances by any player this season and even Chelsea fans were singing insults when he left the Vicarage Road pitch.
And taking into account how poor the Frenchman has been after his switch from Monaco, the Blues will almost certainly be looking for another midfielder, which is why a move for Ramsey could make sense.
The Welshman would fit the profile of a number of recent Chelsea transfer targets, with the Blues looking at players coming to the end of their contracts.
They tried to sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from Arsenal when he had less than 12 months left on his deal at the Emirates, only for him to turn them down and join Liverpool.
The West Londoners, however, did successfully bring in Ross Barkley as he approached the end of his contract at Everton.
If they can sign the 27-year-old in a relatively cut-price deal it could prove to be a real coup.
His dynamism would be a real asset to a team that has occasionally looked lethargic.
MOST READ IN FOOTBALL
And while Lampard has criticised Bakayoko, he’s hailed Ramsey as a player similar to himself this week in the Evening Standard.
“I’m an admirer of Aaron Ramsey,” he wrote. “Once again Arsenal have got themselves in a position where one of their key player’s deals is running out.
“It will probably come as no surprise to people that I like Ramsey.
“Like me, he makes late runs in the penalty area and he showed that with aplomb for the second goal at AC Milan last week.
“One wonders if he’s ever felt he’s the main man at Arsenal and that’s maybe why he might consider looking elsewhere.”
And if he does look elsewhere, Chelsea appear to be lining themselves up as a potential destination.
The Blues will be impressed by his creative statistics. The Arsenal man averages 0.91 key passes per 90, while Fabregas averages 3.43.
That has to be caveated that 1.36 of the Spaniard’s are from set pieces, while the Wales international rarely gets involved in corners ot free-kicks for the Gunners.
By comparison Drinkwater is at 0.86 and Bakayoko is at 0.56. Ramsey would offer a creative alternative to Fabregas to play alongside N’Golo Kante.
Looking at xA90, the Welshman’s is at 0.11 compared to the Spaniard’s 0.13. That’s higher than Kante (0.04), Bakayoko (0.02) or Drinkwater (0).
His six goals this season in the league have also not been bettered by any Blues midfielder – none of Bakayoko, Drinkwater, Kante or Fabregas have more than two.
What’s more, given that Arsenal tend to play 3-4-3, he’d be used to playing in a formation that Conte has favoured for most of his time at Chelsea, even if he has used a 3-5-2 for spells this season.
Although whether he’s actually suited for that role is up for question.
That’s because for all of his good creative ability, his defensive work has come in for criticism, just like with Bakayoko.
During the Gunners’ EFL cup final defeat to Manchester City, speaking on Sky Sports after David Silva put Pep Guardiola’s side 3-0 up, commentator Gary Neville said: “In the minute before that goal, I mentioned the walking of the Arsenal players.
“And then the retreating runs of Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka, ambling, jogging back – an absolute disgrace, an absolute disgrace.
“Walking on a football pitch at Wembley, giving up, spineless.”
And while Ramsey’s creativity would be much welcomed at Stamford Bridge, if does arrive, there would have to be caution as to whether he could perform his defensive duties well enough, especially in a midfield four.
But Chelsea fans would definitely love a player swapping north London for west.
And if he can replicate anything close to Lampard’s form at Stamford Bridge then Ramsey would be an excellent addition.
Leave a comment