A feeling of deja vu? Possibly, but maybe it has to do with the new/old manager Chelsea should be getting. Luka Modric didn’t turn out to be a hit with Real Madrid, and a year after his expensive arrival, Chelsea are trying to get the player they were after two years ago but failed in getting.
Chelsea might be needing more than anything a player who can fill the deep-playmaker role, with their two man unit in the middle constantly changing this season. Modric struggled most of the time in Madrid, used in various positions, but never gained a upper hand in lineup suitability over either Xabi Alonso, Sami Khedira or Mesut Ozil. In the current Cheslea, hi arrival will mean playing next to a defensive midfielder, which right now is John Obi Mikel.
Jose Mourinho insisted on Modric arriving to Madrid last season, and that cost Real £33 million. For what? For a player who appeared in a total of 51 matches, scoring 4 goals and adding 10 assists. A third of those appearances were of him coming off the bench, none more successful than in the Champions League knockout stage win at Old Trafford, scoring a stunning long range goal.
The Spanish game wasn’t kind to Modric most of the time. In the big matches, Modric was never a starter, mostly used when the win was a bit easier to achieve according to predictions. He always felt out of position and somewhat out of place, compared to his last couple of seasons for Spurs, where it felt he was like a fish in the water for the club, finding it easy to dominate in the middle and dictate the pace with his passing and dribbling.
Chelsea need someone like that now, which can help the more advanced, creative trio, to focus on attacking instead of trying to build up play from too far away. Frank Lampard is staying, but despite his goals, he doesn’t perform that role all too well, especially when it comes to blending defense and attack, which left Chelsea exposed more than once. Modric might be quite an expensive upgrade, especially for someone not everyone can define his true quality and importance, but he is someone who fits the role Chelsea need to take the next step.