Team Focus: Who Should Chelsea Replace John Obi Mikel With?

Whenever a new manager takes over the reins of a team, it’s inevitable that changes will be made. The same can be said of José Mourinho, who returned to Chelsea following stints with Inter Milan and Real Madrid. The Portuguese tactician has set to work early upon his reappointment, bringing in Andre Schürrle from Bayer Leverkusen and Marco van Ginkel from Vitesse Arnham, while reports continuously suggest he’s to reshape the squad to his needs.

David Luiz and Juan Mata, a pairing that played a pivotal role in the Blues’ Europa League success last season, have supposedly been made available while Demba Ba and Fernando Torres have seen their futures called into question over recent weeks following respective underperforming spells at Stamford Bridge. Another on the verge of leaving Chelsea appears to be midfielder John Obi Mikel, with Galatasaray expected to secure the signature of the Nigerian ahead of the new season.

Regardless of the five-year deal the 26-year-old signed last summer, not to mention the controversy surrounding his move from Lyn Oslo - via Manchester United - a move away from West London is seemingly set to materialise before the transfer window closes. As such, rumours have been rife as to who will come in to replace Mikel, with Daniele De Rossi the favourite to make the move to the Premier League.

While recently appointed AS Roma head coach Rudi Garcia will be loathe to losing the gladiatorial midfielder, a lack of European football would unquestionably see his long term future at the Stadio Olimpico called into question, regardless of the fans dubbing him ‘Capitan Futuro’; ‘Future Captain’, in English. The recent acquisition of Dutchman Kevin Strootman will only increase the possibility of the Italy international swapping national capitals this summer.

It strikes of a similar deal to Inter’s signing of Thiago Motta in 2009, where Mourinho brought in the experienced Brazil-born Italy international to bolster the options in his midfield, which saw the Nerazzurri lift the Champions League trophy in 2010. While the Chelsea boss insists striker Wayne Rooney is his primary target this transfer window, it’s highly likely that the club will bring in a replacement for Mikel should he depart this summer.

While Roma may’ve had a higher win percentage without De Rossi in the starting XI (58.8%) than with him (38.1%) last season, i Giallorossi are likely to be keen to keep hold of the 29-year-old, with only Leandro Castán (2.8) and Marquinhos (2.7) averaging more interceptions than the midfielder (2.2) last year. His ability to read the game is evident and is likely to be a facet of his play that would appeal to Mourinho, not to mention the experience and versatility he has exhibited on the international stage.

Comparatively, Mikel averaged just the 1.5 interceptions per game with Chelsea last season, although with De Rossi operated slightly higher up the pitch with Roma. Regardless, both players boast a similar record of winning possession in the midfield third, with De Rossi doing so once every 23.1 minutes and Mikel every 23.2. As mentioned, however, it is De Rossi’s versatility and capability of dropping into defence or playing the ‘Libero’ role, which would undoubtedly stand him in higher stead than Mikel.

Yet, it isn’t just the Roma ace that is being linked with a potential switch to Stamford Bridge, with media outlets this week hinting that Bayern Munich midfielder Luiz Gustavo is also on Chelsea’s radar. The Brazil international, impressive during A Seleção’s Confederations Cup campaign, is expected to see his playing time for the Bundesliga and European champions limited in the forthcoming campaign following the big money acquisitions of Mario Götze and Thiago Alcántara.

While Gustavo operates in a different position to that of the signed pairing, it’s expected that he’ll play a peripheral role for Bayern next year, especially if Pep Guardiola is to play the 4-1-4-1 that many anticipate he will. The 25-year-old may’ve averaged 1.5 interceptions per game - the same as Mikel - last season, but his 2.5 tackles per game is more impressive than that of the Nigerian (2.3) and De Rossi (1.6), enforcing why Chelsea have been credited with an interest.

An average of winning possession in the midfield third every 24.2 minutes is similar to that of both De Rossi and Mikel, while his ability to play both centre-back and left-back would appeal to Mourinho. the fact that he is four years younger than De Rossi also means he has time on his side. While it can be argued the Italian has already reached his peak, Gustavo is yet to approach his.

The pass success of Gustavo (93%) is also significantly more impressive than that of Mikel (88.9%) and De Rossi (84%), although in a team such as Bayern - who averaged 63.6% possession per game last season - it comes as little surprise to see the Brazilian’s figure so high. Either way, if Mourinho should look to bring in a fresh midfielder as a replacement for Mikel this summer - regardless of the acquisition Van Ginkel - it appears that Gustavo would be the more viable option over De Rossi.

He may wish to fight for his place with the Bundesliga side, but should he be made surplus to requirements, Chelsea would be wise to leapfrog any potential rivals to the front of any possible queue. Not only are his stats more impressive than that of De Rossi, but with an average WhoScored.com rating of 7.08 - a mark up on the Italian’s 6.93 - it’s evident that if the Blues can convince Bayern to sell, he’d be an improvement on Mikel, while also adding a second energetic midfielder - similar to that of Ramires - to the squad.