Should Chelsea sign Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos?

Sergio Ramos

Chelsea are never shy about making an impact in the transfer window, and this January they might have a chance to sign one of the biggest names of recent years.

Mirror Football are linking the London side with a potential swoop for Real Madrid’s Spanish central defender Sergio Ramos, who they claim is third-choice centre back, unhappy with manager Carlo Ancelotti and potentially looking for a move after not being given a new contract.

Despite Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho already having the likes of David Luiz, John Terry and Gary Cahill at his disposal, the chance to sign Ramos should not be passed up.

Playing centrally, Ramos is one of the top direct defenders in the game today. Strong in the air at both ends of the pitch, a physical and fast defender and more than capable in one-on-one situations, he’s a real all-rounder who loves to get on the ball and play, bringing it out of defence or starting build-up phases of play from deep. His talents on the ball are no doubt honed by playing at right-back earlier in his career, where he was more involved going forward, but he has also operated in a holding midfield position.

This season in his 13 La Liga appearances, all of which have been starts, Ramos has completed a thoroughly impressive 90% of his passes. That includes almost 600 general open play passes, but also 102 successful long balls. His ability to find a team-mate from anywhere on the pitch is of immense benefit to his team, as he can quickly change the tempo and stretch the pitch diagonally without risking losing the ball. By contrast, he has misplaced just 23 long passes.

That kind of pass ratio is something which Cahill and Luiz simply can’t live with, especially Ramos’ excellent rate of completing longer balls.

Cahill has an 87% pass rate, Luiz slightly lower on 86%, but both give away the ball when playing longer almost as often as they find a team-mate, 22-18 for the English defender and 38-24 for the Brazilian.

Ramos’ prowess and ambition on the ball is further highlighted by the four chances he has created this season, compared to one each for the Chelsea duo.

In Champions League fixtures, Ramos’ passing goes up to 91%, with both the Chelsea boys on 88%.

Defensively, few get the better of Real Madrid’s No. 4.

His statistics in making tackles and winning headers, two basic staples for an aggressive central defender, simply blow away Chelsea’s current options at the back to partner Terry. Ramos has won 75% of his headed duels and a massive 84% of his attempted tackles, far and away ahead of Luiz—60% headers and 23% tackle success—and comfortably clear of Cahill—69% headers, 50% tackles—too.

Putting the percentages aside, the pure number of both weigh heavily in Ramos’ favour too. While Cahill has attempted just four tackles this term and Luiz has won only three from 13, Ramos has made 31 and won 26. His 65 headed duels are also streets ahead of Luiz and Cahill’s combined total.

The Real Madrid man averages seven Defensive Actions per game, mainly clearances of course but also making a significant number of interceptions, showcasing his ability to read the game.

Out of Luiz, Cahill and Ramos, only the Brazilian has made a defensive error this season. Last term, all three of them made two apiece.

David Luiz certainly has traits that few centre-backs in the game have, that should not be discounted. Cahill, meanwhile, has proven himself reliable and competent at the top of the league—without being truly in the top class of centre-backs.

If Sergio Ramos is available this January, and if Chelsea are indeed in the market, there will be few better options for them to splash out on than Real’s World Cup winner.