Chelsea have agreed a fee with Real Madrid for Ricardo Carvalho with the move expected to be completed imminently subject to a medical.
Carvalho leaves the club after more than six years of service during which time he forged a formidable barrier with skipper John Terry.
In Fantasy terms he was at times a strong proposition – slightly cheaper than Terry but often just as likely to pop up with a set-piece goal to supplement impressive defensive returns. Injuries and the slight threat of rotation around Champions League matches began to eat away at his potential however and in truth Carvalho’s departure now makes the lives of Fantasy Managers that little bit easier. Branislav Ivanovic and Paulo Ferreira will be feel the impact of this move and Fantasy Managers will now be reassessing the potential of both.
It now seems likely that we will see Ivanovic handed the responsibility to partner John Terry in the centre of the Chelsea defence. The Serb has lined up there in the previous three pre-season matches and with Alex still feeling the effects of a thigh injury, he appears to have no immediate competition for that role. Alex will be back in contention within a fortnight according to Ancelotti but even so you would expect Ivanovic to stand a good chance of holding him off for the position, although the threat will always be there. The shift to right-back is perhaps on the cards when Alex does figure.
This will of course make Ivanovic a more likely Fantasy target going into the opening weekend although with a price tag of 7.0 in the FPL, it’s questionable whether the likes of United’s Nemanja Vidic and Everton’s Leighton Baines are more favourable options. I for one certainly feel that’s the case.
The shift of Ivanovic to a central role would also mean that the right-back position at Stamford Bridge becomes another area of focus. There is of course the chance that Carlo Ancelotti will throw money at the problem but right now Paulo Ferreira looks to be in the box seat. He took the position in the Community Shield match with Jose Bosingwa still on the road to recovery from a knee injury. Ferreira will hold the role down for the time being and will immediately come onto our Watchlists at just 5.5 in the Fantasy Premier League game and 4.7 in the Metro game. Bosingwa will challenge him for that role long-term with Ancelotti remarking that he should be back in the frame within a month but there are suggestions that his return to fitness is still several months away, making Ferreira a cheap short-term route to Chelsea clean sheets that we surely have to consider.
Our Members Area Player Projections for these players have now been tweaked accordingly, with Ivanovic now moving from 25 to 32 predicted starts in the Chelsea lineup and Ferreira moving to 16 predicted starts this term pending the return of Alex.