Chelsea competing for Ivan Rakitić
Ivan Rakitić, Shalke 04`s croatian creative player (who is barely 20 years old) is a wanted man. As well as Barça, Inter, Juventus or Arsenal, Chelsea are keen on the midfielder.
Chelsea fans will remember Rakitić from last season ago, when we came up against Schalke in the Champions League. Chelsea dismissed Schalke, but one of the German side`s best players at the time was Rakitić. He came on as a sub in the home game, and changed Schalke around. Despite being only 19 at the time.
There is a feeling in Germany that Rakitić is outgrowing Schalke. Over the weekend, various German, Italian and Swish media suggested that he is on Barça`s shortlist. If this is news in Switzerland, it is because he was born in Switzerland and Schalke bought him 2 seasons ago from FC Basel.
At Barça, Pep Guardiola is said to be particularly enamoured of the classy midfielder, to the extent that they could be prepared to slam €15 million on the table. So keen are Barça, apparently, that they could look at signing the player already when the transfer window opens in January, even if it is to bring him in next season. The possibility that Barça could offload Yaya Touré pokes a hole in the Barça squad.
Of course, this player being hot property, there are no end of other clubs on his case: Arsenal, Juventus, Inter, and Chelsea are mentioned in dispatches. Whilst we can`t comment on the other clubs, we can give an indication as to whether he could fit in at Chelsea. At Schalke, he plays as a playmaker / holding midfielder who holds the ball well to keep possession but also to create attacks. He`s less well known for his defensive work, preferring to go forward.
Of course, Rakitić has broken into the Croatian national team, where he plays even further forward, more or less as a striker who prefers the left flank. He is often used to take set pieces both for Schalke and Croatia. This difference in his use is reflected in his goal statistics: he`s scored 4 for Croatia, but only 3 in 33 games for Schalke.
All in all, Rakitić is a useful player, he`s elegant and cultured with a game intelligence beyond his tender years. Where, however, could he fit in at Chelsea, where he would be behind the likes of Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Michael Essien and Deco?