Why Radamel Falcao is a low risk deal for Chelsea

Radamel Falcao will be playing for Chelsea next season

As soon as the rumours swirled around that Radamel Falcao could be a Chelsea player for their Premier League title defence next season, Chelsea fans all across the globe hit panic mode.

Why wouldn’t they? This is a player who was a disastrous failure in his debut season in the Barclays Premier League for Manchester United, who had paid astronomical sums for his services.

This is a player, who looked a pale shadow of the man who once was the most feared number 9 in the world, before being stricken by an ACL injury while playing for Monaco forcing El Tigre to miss Colombia’s highly successful World Cup campaign of 2014.

But there are many reasons as to why Chelsea fans should be looking forward to the arrival of El Tigre at Stamford Bridge. First things first, it is only a short term season long loan deal, so if he fails, he isn’t on Chelsea’s books permanently.

There is an option to buy after the expiration of the loan period for £35m, but there is a very less to zero chance of Chelsea exercising that option for a player who would be over 30 by then.

Even if they do, it is likely to be negotiated for a much smaller transfer fee as AS Monaco are keen to get him off their wage bill. The salary quoted by various media outlets is around the mid £100k mark per week, which isn’t insane by any means and a huge paycut on the salary he was being paid at Old Trafford.

My second reason supporting this deal would be that which big name striker would be willing to play backup to Diego Costa and Loic Remy? All signs points toward being Falcao being a backup and not a regular starter at Chelsea.

The argument about giving youngsters a chance

Many Chelsea fans have argued with great merit that they’d rather see the likes of Patrick Bamford and Bertrand Traore, who’ve had excellent seasons at Middlesbrough and Vitesse Arnhem respectively, to be given a shot at first team football.

But it could also be argued with great merit that at this stage in their careers, they need consistent playing time, without which, their development could be massively stagnated, a luxury which they are unlikely to be afforded at Stamford Bridge.

They would be better off, honing thieir skills with a mid-lower table Premier League loan and proving themselves at the highest level. Thirdly, there is the Jose Mourinho factor. The Special One has made it publicly clear about his desire to bring El Tigre back to his roaring best.

There is a widespread belief that Louis Van Gaal, with his tactical approach and team selections, didn't bring out the best out of Radamel Falcao. The Special One, with his tactical nous and man-management skills, would just be the man to do that.

Also, ACL injuries are career threatening and long term injuries and it generally takes a player 14-18 months after full recovery, to get back to his best. Finally, the age old saying of ‘Form is temporary, Class is permanent’, may perfectly apply here.

No one can deny that Radamel Falcao is a world class talent. Only a couple of years back, he was considered among the top 5 players in the world. Chelsea fans know it all too well, as he massacred the Blues in the UEFA Supercup finals with one of the best hat-tricks in European Club football history.

So, there are many more reasons for Chelsea fans to be optimistic about El Tigre’s arrival at the Bridge, than being pessimistic about it. Give it time, El Tigre may roar again and surprise us all!