Chelsea may need a centre-back in January, and World Cup winner Lucio is suddenly a free agent. The perfect match?
From a neutral perspective, Lucio to Chelsea is a deal we would love to see happen.
The reasons are two-fold.
(a) Lucio is one of the modern game’s great centre-backs. He has a blend of skill and steel which can see him shunting a striker around one minute and charging up the pitch to join an attack the next. He may be past his prime, but we would love to see him in the Premier League.
(b) A central defence of Lucio and Luiz could be the most spectacular in the world – From a neutral perspective at least. For Chelsea fans it may be enough to cause heart failure, but for everybody else they will make compelling viewing.
Chelsea’s current alternatives to Luiz are captain John Terry – Who has been out injured and is into his 30s, and Gary Cahill, usually reliable if not of elite calibre. Then there is the option of moving Ivanovic into the centre; but the 3-0 loss to Juventus last month exposed how a top class addition would give them a boost.
It would be a peculiar twist of fate then if it were a Juventus player, or former as he is now, who would answer their SOS.
Lucio signed for Juve as a free agent from Inter Milan in the summer, where he was a key part of Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan treble-winning side, knocking Chelsea out along the way.
He suffered an ankle ligament injury early on, fell out of favour, and today news broke that Juventus had agreed to terminate his contract by mutual consent, making him one of the most attractive free agents in football.
He has been tipped to head back to Germany, either with Bayern Munich or Bayer Leverkusen, where he spent the majority of his career. However if Chelsea came calling he would feel right at home.
Alongside compatriots Luiz, Ramires, Oscar, as well as youngsters Piazon and Wallace, Chelsea would become a home from home for him, and one last hurrah. Importantly he has played under Rafa Benitez before, even if the Spaniard’s tenure at Inter was short-lived.
He may lack the fitness or consistency to be an asset week in week out, but as a third of fourth choice centre-back, between now and the end of the season, he would certainly add to Chelsea.
And for the rest of us, it would make compelling viewing.
Would you like to see Lucio at Chelsea?
images: © crystiancruz, © Ronnie Macdonald
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