Jose Mourinho has pulled the trigger on his first signing as new Chelsea manager putting pen to paper on a deal that brings Bayer Leverkusen forward André Schürrle to Stamford Bridge.
The 22 year old winger-come-striker has been a long term target of the Blues and is reportedly parting ways with Leverkusen for a transfer fee of £18 million ($28.2m).
Chelsea announced the deal via their website, releasing the following statement: “Chelsea and Bayer Leverkusen have reached an agreement for the transfer of André Schürrle, subject to the completion of legal documentation and related matters, including personal terms and passing a medical.”
Schürrle has spent the last two seasons at Leverkusen where he scored 18 goals in 65 appearances. The Germany international arrived at the North Rhine-Westphalia based squad in 2011 on a €8 million ($10.7m) transfer from Mainz 05, where he played youth football and made his Bundesliga debut in August 2009. In two seasons of top-flight action with the O-Fives, Schürrle netted 20 times in 66 appearances.
To cover the loss of Schürrle, Leverkusen have signed South Korean forward Son Heung-min from Hamburg SV. The 20-year-old, who scored 12 goals last season, signed a five-year deal with Leverkusen for an undisclosed fee.
With Schürrle’s move to Stamford Bridge, huge question marks arise over the future of current Blues strikers, Demba Ba and Fernando Torres, and the potential blockbuster transfer of Edinson Cavani, Hulk, Edin Dzeko or another world-class striker.
It’s widely accepted that Schürrle’s best position on the pitch is as a winger, which bodes well for Ba and Torres. But the German can also be used in a striker role playing off a target man and if that’s how Mourinho decides to utilize Schürrle, the aforementioned Blues duo could be out the door. Torres looks the more likely to leave, with Napoli and Barcelona knocking at the door, while Ba could be headed anywhere from Arsenal to Monaco to PSG or even back to Newcastle.
If Mourinho sees Schürrle as a winger, this could spell trouble for Kevin De Bruyne, the young Beligan product who ‘The Special One’ recently hinted would be given a fair shot during preseason, and guys like Victor Moses, who has recently been linked with a transfer to Everton.
Things will get even more complicated if Roman Abramovich opens up his wallet for one of the big striker names on the transfer market. Mourinho is said to be keen on Cavani, Hulk and Dzeko, with the Napoli man looking the most likely to head to West London, perhaps in a swap plus cash deal for Torres.
One way or another, this looks to be the first of many transfers for Chelsea this summer. Stay tuned as Mourinho continues to build the army that he hopes will challenge for the Premier League title.