Joe Cole says Granit Xhaka would be the ‘right character’ for the Chelsea dressing room and the club’s move for the midfielder is a ‘good sign’ that ‘positive strides’ are being made in the transfer market.
The Blues appear to have moved away from their purely youth-led transfer policy and have set their sights on Xhaka, with new manager Xabi Alonso believed to be at the heart of a bid to sign the 33-year-old.
Xhaka of course played for Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen, enjoying great success under the Spaniard as the pair won a historic Bundesliga title together after an undefeated 2023/24 campaign.
The former Arsenal captain returned to the Premier League to join Sunderland last summer, earning himself plenty more admirers with his outstanding performances for the Black Cats.
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Reports emanating out of Germany at the weekend indicated that Chelsea had reached a verbal agreement with Xhaka’s camp, with the Switzerland international keen to secure a switch to Stamford Bridge.
However, Sunderland are reluctant to lose arguably their most important squad member and Chelsea bosses know they have a battle on their hands in prising the central midfielder away from the Stadium of Light.
It’s understood Chelsea’s opening offer of £8million for Xhaka was swiftly rejected by their Premier League rivals. It remains to be seen if the Club World Cup holders will return with a follow-up bid.
‘Going after Xhaka is a good sign for Chelsea fans because it shows that the handcuffs of only signing young players and developing them are now off, ex-Chelsea and England winger Cole told Paddy Power.
‘It seems they’re making good positive strides. He seems like the right character for the dressing room.
‘He did a great job at Sunderland last year. He was brilliant at Bayer Leverkusen. He was even a leader at Arsenal.
‘I like the fact that they’re backing Xabi Alonso. I like everything about it.’
Though Cole doubts Xhaka would be a guaranteed starter at Chelsea, he is adamant the Swiss would bring invaluable ‘leadership’ to a dressing room which badly lacked experienced heads last season.
‘He played nearly every game for Leverkusen and Sunderland. Will he play every game at Chelsea?’ Cole added.
‘Will he still be a great leader if he isn’t on the pitch every game? I think he will. I certainly hope he will.
‘He wouldn’t be starting ahead of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, who for me are two of the best central midfielders in world football.
‘We’ll see if he ends up signing, but I like the fact that if he does, it is for sure a Xabi Alonso signing.’
Should Xhaka join Chelsea, he could be set to join forces with Caicedo and Fernandez in the centre of the park – widely regarded to be among the finest midfield pairings in English football.
However, there remains uncertainty over Fernandez’s future in west London, with the Argentina international opening criticising Chelsea’s hierarchy last season and reportedly pushing for a big-money transfer move to Real Madrid.
To rub further salt in the wound, Marc Cucurella has encouraged Fernandez to join him at Madrid having completed a move from Chelsea to the Bernabeu earlier this summer.
‘That’s not for me, what he’s done there,’ Cole said of Cucurella’s recent comments.
‘When you hear players doing stuff like that, I think it’s bang out of order.
‘He’s an intelligent man. He knows he’s poking the bear. There’s ways to handle yourself in these situations.
‘If you’re happy to sign a seven-year contract, you can’t then three years into the contract be openly flirting with another football club, regardless of who it is.
‘It’s not for me.’
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