Chelsea have confirmed that they’ve agreed a fee for Branislav Ivanovic of Lokomotiv Moscow, shelling out a reported £9 million for the Serbian defender. He has yet to agree personal terms and pass a medical but that should be a formality for money-bags Chelsea and a fighting fit 23-year old.
Apparently the lad can play anywhere across the back four – versatility that may well provide a bonus for Avram Grant but is enough to give the rotation conscious fantasy manager the fear. I take a look at the new arrival at the Bridge and the changes he may bring…
The news of his Ivanovic’s arrival has been met by a general “meh” from the Chelsea fans. In the wake of the £15 million signing of Anelka, that is perhaps understandable. Make no mistake though, Ivanovic is a talent. United, Juventus, Barcelona and Real Madrid were all said to be monitoring his progress and Chelsea have seemingly pulled off a coup by sealing his signature.
The fee may seem large for an as yet unproven talent at the very highest level, but Ivannovic was under contract at Moscow until 2011. With more than a few top clubs on his trail, Chelsea obviously felt it was time to flex Abramovich’s financial muscles to sign the defender who had made 54 appearances for Russian club, scoring five goals.
He started his career at his hometown club Sremska Mitrovica where he made 24 appearances from 2002-03. His potential caught the eye of OFK Belgrade in 2003 and he went on to play three successful seasons at the Serbian first division club, playing 73 times and notching 6 goals. Despite helping Belgrade to two UEFA Cup campaigns, Ivanovic was always set to move to bigger things.
He signed for Lokomotiv Moscow in 2006 and on signing, the then Moscow coach, Slavoljub Muslin, described Ivanovic as the “best young defender in Europe”.
That kind of hype was born out at last year’s Under-21 European Championships. Ivanovic captained his country and was named in the UEFA team of the tournament. He won his first senior cap in June 2006 in a friendly against Italy and has won eight more caps to follow that, losing just one international in that time.
You get a glimpse at Ivanovic in action via the lovely YouTube link below – it comes complete with a very lively ditty from the lovely Christina Aguilera. His pace and power is clear from the footage, as is the fact that he’s not one to shirk a challenge. He’s got some throw on him too by the looks of things.
At 6ft 3in, Ivanovic is a dominant and powerful figure in the air but comfortable with ball and with decent pace. He is widely regarded as a centre-back, playing alongside Vidic for Serbia, but can also be employed at full-back. Being predominantly right-footed, he’s often played on the right-hand side but is reportedly said to favour the left-back role. That has lead to speculative reports that his arrival would not only see the departure of Ben-Haim but also that Wayne Bridge could well be surplus to requirements with Liverpool poised to swoop. Right now that seems unlikely, with Bridge currently enjoying a sparodic run in the side with Grant clearly looking to rest and rotate him with Ashley Cole. Ben-Haim does seem to be out the door however, with Spurs said to be sniffing about.
Ben-Haim’s departure won’t concern fantasy managers, but like the arrival of Skrtel at Liverpool, Ivanovic’s signing presents the Chelsea boss with far too many options for my liking. With Terry likely to be sidelined until mid-to-late February, it appeared that Alex and Carvalho would be set for a decent run of games, unchallenged. Belletti and Cole were already under threat from Ferreira and Bridge. With this signing, effectively, the entire Chelsea defence is now open to rest and rotation. Only Terry, on his return, appears to be safe, with Belletti, in his current form perhaps just behind him.
It’s obviously early days with Ivanovic so there’s no need to panic transfer just yet. A work permit has already been granted so he could well be pitched into the action at Birmingham but it seems unlikely. Alex seems set to get the opportunity to continue a promising season and Carvalho should also be safe for the time being. But that will only be the case while they continue to perform and stay suspension and injury free.
Slowly but surely the defensive options for fantasy managers are narrowing – raising the profile of the stable United defence and options such as City’s Dunne, Villa’s Laursen and Everton’s Lescott. Suddenly this in defensive terms, this season is becoming about the pursuit of goals and Fantasy Premier League bonus points rather than the traditional clean sheets that Chelsea and Liverpool defenders, safe from rotation, used to provide.