Who is Chelsea target Luis Suarez?

It seems Carlo Ancelotti will be able to buy players in January after all since Chelsea’s appeal against the FIFA suspension is due to be resolved in mid January, by which time the Blues could have already recruited a couple of new players to help them deal with their African Nations Cup worries. The latest reports are suggesting Ajax forward Luis Suarez tops the shopping list and some even say the transfer is a done deal. The Blues need to act quickly, however, since Arsenal, Tottenham and even Barcelona are also interested in signing the Ajax man. The 22-year-old is likely to cost around £30 million but he would be worth every penny in my opinion.

The Uruguayan started his career in domestic club Nacional, where he was immediately recognized as one of country’s brightest talents and even won the league title in 2006. Dutch Eredivisie side Groningen spotted his potential and managed to snatch him for as little as €800,000, which proved to be a very smart buy. Suarez was impressive in his first season in Holland, scoring 11 goals in 30 appearances and was soon sold to Ajax for no less than €7.5 million.

It was at Ajax where he caught the attention of wider public, terrorizing opposition defences together with Klaas Jan Huntelaar and it was these two that formed one of the best attacking partnerships in the history of the club. Suarez continued to score goals on regular basis even after Huntelaar left and was even made captain by Martin Jol this season. Suarez scored remarkable 23 goals in 24 appearances this season even though he was mostly played on the wing and it is this record that saw him grab the headlines across Europe.

Some would say it is easy for him to score goals in weak Dutch League, but he also scores them in Europe and for the national team, while his assists are what make him stand out of the crowd. Even though he was pretty selfish when he came to Ajax, he has developed into a player completely dedicated to team’s cause and that is something Ajax coaches have to be given credit for.

Luis Suarez is a player with great vision and a great eye for the goal but he is also one of just few world-class players who can completely change the course of the game by creating a chance for himself or his teammates. Chelsea (Chelsea news) don’t have such a player in their ranks and that is why I am eager to see Suarez at Stamford Bridge in January. £30 million may sound like a lot of money but considering Suarez’s undoubted potential and the fact he is only 22, to me it sound more like a bargain.

Joe Cole for England

Fabio Capello is waiting to hear who England’s opponents will be at next year’s World Cup and once the draw is made, he will return to his biggest task at the moment, picking England World Cup squad. The Italian is unlikely to make too many changes to the squad that played in the qualifying campaign but a couple of players who missed the big part of World Cup qualifiers are hoping to be on the plane to South Africa. One of those is certainly Joe Cole, who is enjoying his football after recovering from 8-month injury lay-off and the diminutive midfielder will have plenty of time to impress Capello.

Joe Cole has last featured for England in the 4:1 in over Croatia and it is interesting he hasn’t had any contact with the manager since suffering a knee injury. Nevertheless, former West Ham played quickly proved just what Chelsea were missing while he was out and he is currently enjoying his role just behind the strikers. Cole offers the Blues a new dimension in attack and his ability to play his way out of trouble and provide killer passes for Drogba and Anelka is very much appreciated. His first touch and vision is impressive, which makes him very useful when playing in tight spaces.

The only problem is England play conventional 4-4-2 formation under Capello and the managed would have problems finding him a place in the side. Even though he is much more influential when played centrally, Cole is used to playing on the wings, with left hand side probably suits him best since he can cut inside and make all sorts of problems for opposition defenders.

Fabio Capello is still searching for the striker to play alongside Wayne Rooney and Cole is definitely capable of playing as a second striker. I am confident the Italian manager will realize just how much England can gain with Joe Cole since his versatility would be a big asset for the Three Lions.

The only thing Cole now needs to do in order to command a place in the national team is to play as much as possible for Chelsea and that shouldn’t be a problem if his rich vein of form continues. The midfielder was subbed in the Carling Cup defeat to Blackburn and is in danger of losing his starting place, but I am pretty sure Ancelotti doesn’t have better player than Cole for the position at the tip of the diamond. To sum it up, if England are to have any chance of lifting the World Cup after 44 years, they need Joe Cole in the side. You don’t have to be an expert in sports betting to know England are not exactly favourites to win the World Cup.