Chelsea forward Demba Ba has only been at Stamford Bridge for several months but could already be set for the exit door and is a target of Anzhi Makhachkala.
The Mirror report that the Senegalese forward is surplus to Jose Mourinho’s requirements and he could be heading east after saying no to both West Ham and West Brom, who ended up signing former Blue Nicolas Anelka instead.
Marko Marin has already left the club on loan to Sevilla and Ba could be the next player out the door with Anzhi willing to offer the 28-year-old forward a lucrative deal.
The article described Ba as a ‘spare part’ and with Romelu Lukaku set to be given his chance next season we wouldn’t really need Ba even if we do not sign another forward. Fernando Torres’ wages will prevent him from a big move and although I criticise him heavily he’s a better player than Ba is. Andre Schurrle hasn’t played as a forward very often since he moved from Mainz to Bayer Leverkusen but he’s good enough to be an emergency third if he needed to fill the role.
There was no mention in the article of the fee Chelsea could expect should the sale of Ba be sanctioned but anything more than the price we paid would represent good business whilst clearing another high wage off the books and freeing up a squad place for an over-21 player.
Ba had an impressive first six months to the season at Newcastle United where he bagged 13 goals in 22 appearances but struggled to replicate this form once he made the switch to West London where he scored only six in the same amount of games played. He was always a stop gap so it would be unsurprising if he was moved on this summer for the sake of Lukaku, who has a future at Chelsea.
Source: Mirror
selling Ba wudn’t be a good option
If there’s a good deal on the table that suits Ba, then I certainly don’t think we should stand in his way. It could be good business all round.
The question then is whether Lukaku is ready to step up to be our second striker. He has come on well in his loan at WBA, but this is another level again.
The improvement in Torres last season was reflected in the amount of game time he got for Spain in the Confederations Cup and the golden boot in that tournament can only help his confidence. Nonetheless, he will expect to be regularly rotated again, if we are going to chase every competition again.
That leaves Lukaku sure to be starting in some big games. He may well be ready for the challenge, but he is still very young. Would it be better for his development to have him as third choice for now? The biggest worry would be overplaying him if Torres gets injured, at a time when he is still physically developing.
So selling on Ba is probably the right option, but we probably ought to be looking for a replacement – if only for a season or two.