Transfer Rumors – Chelsea midfielder set for China move

Champions League winning Chelsea midfielder Ramires is headed to Chinese Super League club Jiangsu Suning on a £20 million transfer, according to reports. Ramires has found himself out of favour under interim coach Guus Hiddink and believes that the Chinese club’s wage offering, more than twice of what he makes at Chelsea, could be too good to turn down.

Jiangsu Suning, coached by former Chelsea man Dan Petrescu, are willing to make a statement and shell out big money for the versatile box to box midfielder, who joined Chelsea from Benfica in 2010.

Ramires last started for Chelsea in former manager Jose Mourinho’s last game in charge, a 2-1 defeat to Leicester City and has made only seven starts in a poor season for the Blues. Though originally signed to be a shuttler in a 4-3-3 formation, Ramires has been a casualty of Chelsea’s switch to a 4-2-3-1 and found his skillset to be a mismatch for the requirements of the deep midfielder’s role.

Tireless and energetic, Ramires isn’t someone known for his passing or playmaking but that was what was required of him in his new role, hence putting the club in a dilemma of whether or not to move the Brazilian midfield engine on, having failed to find him a suitable role on the pitch despite him signing a new long term deal only in October last year.

While his wastefulness in passing has been frustrating for Chelsea fans in a disappointing season for their team, no one would quite forget the contribution the Blue Kenyan has had when called upon. Ramires has done a job for Chelsea in midfield, on the right wing as a defensive winger and as a right back as well, in the Champions League semifinal second leg against Barcelona.

The said semifinal also produced the moment for which Ramires would go down in Chelsea’s history books and folklore forever. Having had captain John Terry sent off for manhandling Alexis Sanchez and down two goals, Chelsea were in desperate need of a response when Ramires latched on to a defence splitting pass by Frank Lampard and scooped the ball over an onrushing Victor Valdes to score one the goals of that season.

If there indeed is substance to the rumours and Ramires is moving to Jiangsu Suning, all Chelsea fans would love to thank him for his contribution over the years!