The tenacious French midfielder looks set to finally leave Southampton with either Arsenal or Manchester United his most likely destination. I feel Chelsea may have just missed a trick here by overlooking Schneiderlin as a transfer target.
Schneiderlin clearly expressed his intentions to leave Ronald Koeman’s side in search of Champions League football, meaning the French midfielder is definitely on the market. Despite not being a ‘galactico’ or marquee signing if you will, Schneiderlin could have been a very efficient signing.
The 25 year old joined Southampton way back in 2008, as a result of this he now qualifies as a home grown player. Chelsea are after home grown players to fill the new quota required of the Premier League sides. After the Saints returned to the Premier League in 2012, Schneiderlin has proven himself in the top flight, as well as proving he is more than cable of stepping up into a top four side.
Forming a strong midfield partnership with Victor Wanyama, Schneiderlin has justified his intentions to move on. He made 24 appearances in the Premier League last season, scoring 4 goals and managing just 1 assist. These statistics don’t quite do justice to his consistent performances, WhoScored showcase his high levels with a 7.51 average rating.
John Obi Mikel looks set to leave Stamford Bridge over the summer in search of first team football. The Southampton man could have been an ideal replacement for the Nigerian, and an improvement to the starting eleven and the squad as a whole.
A potential partnership of Schneiderlin and Matic in the midfield pivot would add much more protection to the spine of the team. It would allow the pair that little more creativity, as well enhancing the freedom of the three players behind the striker.
Through the use of Squawka’s comparison tool, here is how Schneiderlin (Red) compares to Matic (Blue) and Fabregas (Orange) last season.
The statistics show that Schneiderlin would add quality to the side, by surpassing Fabregas, who has featured heavily in a deeper role last season, in both categories. Southampton have reportedly set their asking price at around £25m for the midfielder. The price may seem steep at first, however I believe it represents true value for money. Reports linking the club with Paul Pogba have been ever present since his rise to fame at Juventus, along with other European giants such as Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Should Chelsea be able to complete a deal for the latter, it would be something of a coup for the club, however Schneiderlin could have been considered for a fraction of the price. The midfielder has represented his country 9 times and featured during the 2014 World Cup, despite being aged just 25 he has a plethora of experience behind him.
Schneiderlin has proven himself physically and technically in the Premier League and as defending Premier League champions, we should be aiming for this level of strength in depth. Given the fact John Obi Mikel is set to leave the club, his presence wouldn’t have any negative effects on the development of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, only benefiting the Chelsea youngster in anything.
Schneiderlin would have only benefited our squad, with his wages unlikely to be amongst our top players. The strength in depth will benefit the club’s aim to improve in the Champions League next season. While Schneiderlin’s future is still undecided, with the only rumours currently surrounding the player, it is looking ever more likely we will not be seeing him turn out at Stamford Bridge in blue.
What do you think? Should Chelsea have moved for Schneiderlin?
