Samuel Eto'o: Re-Union with Mourinho on the cards?

A very interesting development has been made regarding Chelsea's pursuit of Borges Willian with the Anzhi ownership demanding Samuel Eto'o to be included in the deal as well to complete the transfer. That is very interesting, INDEED!





What makes it very very intriguing is that Eto'o has played under Mourinho during his famous treble winning days from Inter Milan and he always wanted Eto'o at Chelsea, at the time Shevchenko was brought Mou actually wanted to sign Eto'o from Barcelona but failed to do so. So, another possible reunion is on the cards, but Is Eto'o the same player he was when he left Inter for Anzhi?

Physically?

He is 32 years of age now so definitely he is not physically the same player he was when he was Inter Milan. But has age taken a toll on his goal scoring? That's the big question, because you know Luca Toni and Francesco Totti are still scoring. Does Samuel Eto'o fit into that category? Lets take a statistical look at his performances at Anzhi.

Statistically? 

Since his move to Anzhi he has scored 25 goals in 53 appearances for the club but last year he only managed 10 goals from 25 appearances in the Russian League. Thats a pretty worrying stat if you ask me considering the overall level of Russian league's competitiveness. He did not really turn provider like some aging strikers do by falling off the last defender and using their technique to assist other forwards, a tally of just 7 assists last season states that.

Definite Improvement to Current Squad?

So, exactly what will he bring to a Chelsea side already packed with a better forward-line, also that capture would mean the end of the pursuit of Wayne Rooney. So a Willian + Eto'o deal is better than a single deal for Rooney. I will let you to decide on that but what I can not grasp is the mere fact that why an aging striker is bought in a deal that already sees a player (Willian) coming just to increase up the numbers considering the immense midfield talent at the disposal of Chelsea. Two surplus players for 30m pounds is debatable to say the least but its Chelsea we are talking about so anything can happen.

Re-Union?

Now, lets talk about the Re-union with Mourinho. This move will re-unite the two after they spent two years at Inter Milan. His goal scoring exploits were pretty handy during that period as he notched up 33 goals in 67 appearances, very much the same average he has held at all of his other clubs (Barca being an exception, although those were his prime years as well).

 European Pedigree?

 
The interesting stat is the amount of goals he has scored in the UEFA Champions League considering he is not a European the number 27 goals scored in the elite competition is very impressive so the least. He also has an impressive tally of 55 goals for his national side.

Squad Impact?

Now to the main point, what does he bring to the side packed with young and pacy talent? a) Experience b) Calmness c) A player from which Lukaku can learn a lot. He is no Drogba but the style of play from both is quite the same so Lukaku can learn a lot from some one like Eto'o. This may end up being a blessing in disguise for the Belgian starlet to really kick start his career and become a world-beater. It is very hard to say whether Eto'o will be a regular starting XI player but he will bring a lot of oomph to the side whenever he is playing.

Debate:

Should Chelsea be splashing that kind of money for players who are not guaranteed starting XI material or should they go for some one who can really improve the squad and stamp his authority? With a week of transfer window remaining we will see which of the two Mourinho chooses from.