Nemanja Matic and the Other Defensive Midfielders Chelsea Should Target

It was officially the end of an era at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Jose Mourinho may have said otherwise, but Michael Essien's Chelsea career is surely over.

"He's my man, he's a Chelsea man and it's no problem," commented Mourinho (as per Goal.com), defending Essien after Chelsea's 3-1 victory over Southampton in which the midfielder had gifted the Saints their goal after just 14 seconds.

Talk about making an already difficult game that bit tougher.

It was Essien's only real contribution to proceedings, with the Ghanaian being substituted at half-time, ending what was a dismal display.

In isolation, it can be seen as somewhat of an overreaction to suggest his Chelsea's days are numbered, but we haven't seen the best of Essien for quite some time.

Sure, injuries have played their part in that, but Sunday confirmed the Blues need to add at least one player to their defensive midfield ranks in January. If they do not, they run the risk of coming up short in the latter stages of the campaign when Mourinho will be forced to get everything he can out of his squad.

Rotation will be key and Chelsea need players who are not only reliable but capable of performing at the highest level. Essien looks some way off that.

It's clear he needs to be replaced, but with whom? Bleacher Report identifies five players Chelsea should target to reinforce their midfield come January.

Morgan Schneiderlin

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It would be a case of returning to the scene of the crime if Chelsea were to make a move for Southampton's Morgan Schneiderlin.

Whereas Michael Essien looked jaded and off the pace on Sunday, Schneiderlin was excellent against Chelsea, especially in the first half when the Saints enjoyed the better of the game.

Eventually, the Blues proved too much for Mauricio Pochettino's men, overpowering them and steamrolling their way to victory.

That shouldn't take anything away from Schneiderlin's performance, though.

Since Southampton returned to the Premier League, the Frenchman has stood out as one of their key players and is playing a big role in their success this term.

He may not be a player of significant profile, yet his talents speak for themselves and he would prove a good addition to this Chelsea squad.

Felipe Gutierrez

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Chelsea have already turned to Holland's Eredivisie to snap up rising midfield talent Marco van Ginkel and another player who should be on their radar is Felipe Gutierrez.

The 23-year-old currently plies his trade at FC Twente, who currently sit third in the table, just three points off the pace.

Gutierrez has played a considerable role in the team's form this season and has been an impressive figure in the middle. He has made more than 50 tackles in his 15 appearances, with no fewer than 37 interceptions, too.

Those impressive stats point to a player who is beginning to realise his potential and it won't be long before some of Europe's bigger clubs come calling.

Chelsea's English contingent will be familiar with Gutierrez after he appeared against England last month in Chile's 2-0 victory at Wembley.

His country are becoming a force to be reckoned with on the international stage and so too is Gutierrez.

*Stats via WhoScored.com

Kevin Strootman

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It's been Kevin Strootman's Roma teammate Daniele De Rossi who has often been cited as one to fill the hole in Chelsea's midfield, but the Dutch ace's form this season suggests he can very well equal the Italian's talents in the future.

At 23 years old, Strootman has his whole career ahead of him and it's clear Roma see him as the man who will one day take over from De Rossi on a full-time basis.

He only joined the club in the summer, moving from PSV for a fee believed to be around £16 million with add-ons and other incentives.

That now seems cheap, so it would take a wild bid to convince Roma to depart with his services.

Chelsea have splashed the cash in the past, though, and having paid £30 million for Willian not so long ago, they're clearly willing to continue their investment in players they feel can help get them back to the top of the Premier League.

Strootman looks like he could very well be one of them.

Nemanja Matic

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It's not uncommon for clubs to bring back players whom they allowed to leave prematurely. The list is endless and it's about time Chelsea did the same with Nemanja Matic.

In the three years since he left Stamford Bridge—departing as part of the deal that took David Luiz to Chelsea—the Serbian midfielder has gone on to show the Blues what they are missing, starring in a Benfica team that continues to challenge Porto for major honours in Portugal.

He lined up against his former club in the Europa League final last season and while he was on the losing team that night, it won't be long before he is winning major honours—for or against Chelsea.

Recently it was reported by The Mirror that Manchester United are interested in bringing him back to the Premier League, with a bid of around £20 million being prepared.

Chelsea need to make sure that if Matic does indeed return to England, it is with them. They need a man of his ability and besides, he would make their rivals United a far more formidable unit.

David Luiz

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OK, so we're bending the rules slightly.

David Luiz is already a Chelsea player, we know, but the sight of him watching Chelsea in action from the substitutes' bench is proving more and more unpleasant with every week that passes by. Like Juan Mata, he's simply too good not to be playing.

Right now he is nursing a knee injury, but when Luiz returns to action, the Brazilian is going to find it very difficult to force his way back into the Chelsea defence as a regular.

The John Terry-Gary Cahill partnership is looking too strong to warrant that, but with defensive midfield continuing to give Jose Mourinho a headache, the Chelsea manager should look at the possibility of how he can utilise Luiz in the pivot.

It's an experiment that Rafa Benitez flirted with last season and it worked well at times, with Luiz's flamboyance and willingness to get involved proving a suitable match.

With a player such as Luiz as one of the two holding players in midfield, it would give Chelsea plenty of impetus going forward. He is comfortable in possession and is more than capable of picking out his teammates with his range of passing.

As ever, there would the inevitable questions regarding his discipline and whether he wouldn't leave Chelsea exposed. If the Blues do not want to be splashing cash, though, they could do a lot worse than moving Luiz forward.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent and will be following the club from a London base throughout the 2013-14 season. Follow him on Twitter here @garryhayes