Having lost the core of their squad to Chelsea, and with Barcelona and Real Madrid having signed world class players, many are wandering how Atletico will fare this upcoming season in La Liga. They have done well strengthening their team so far, as they’ve already signed Mandzukic, Raul Jimenez, and Jan Oblak. Now, it appears they may strengthen even further, as it is rumored Andre Schurrle could be joining the Spanish side.
Since Chelsea have like 20 (ok, 10) attacking midfielders, it is very possible Schurrle could be surplus to requirements, especially as Mourinho appears to favor the likes of Fabregas, Hazard, Willian, and Oscar over the German. Also, Chelsea currently have one more foreign player in their squad than is allowed in both the Premier League and Champions League, so based on numbers and the strength Chelsea already has in this position, this move would make even more sense for the Blues.
Atletico don’t have the same strength in attack as they did last season, and getting someone like Schurrle– who showed his class this summer with the assist for the World Cup winning goal- would be a huge benefit. He’s not a regular goalscorer, but the chances he can create for Mandzukic and co would go a long way to helping Atletico have to deal with life without Costa. He is technically gifted, and also he is is a worker, so he would fit in perfectly with Simeone’s style. If Schurrle went to Atletico, it would strengthen the team by an 8 out of 10.
The somewhat reliable BleacherReport and Independent both reported that Atletico had opened talks with Schurrle, but it appears that the less reliable Daily Mail was the first British publication to report on this story. I definitely believe that talks could’ve occurred, but I don’t think Chelsea are going to want to sell one of their top five or six attacking midfielders. I give the strength of this rumor a 4.5.
Mourinho may want to give someone who shined at the World Cup a chance to show what he can do and become a regular in the starting line-up at Chelsea. And Atletico– although he would be a perfect fit for them- have already signed an attacking player in the form of Raul Jimenez, and could be done for the summer. I give the chance of this happening a 50%.
