Transfer Link with Real Madrid Star Sami Khedira Makes Little Sense for Chelsea

Is it any wonder Arsene Wenger was only too keen to get physical with Jose Mourinho recently?

The Arsenal boss clashed with his Chelsea counterpart on the sidelines at Stamford Bridge, getting involved in an embarrassing game of handbags at dawn.

Wenger has never beaten Mourinho, with his record against the Chelsea manager currently reading: P12 W0 L6 D6.

Whatever the reason—and there are many—Mourinho has it over him on the pitch.

And now in the transfer market as well, it seems.

Arsenal have long been admirers of Real Madrid's Sami Khedira and were expected to make a move for the World Cup winner in January.

Reports in The Express suggest it's Chelsea who hold the upper hand in any transfer involving Khedira, though.

Chelsea's trump card is Petr Cech—the former No. 1 at Stamford Bridge who has been replaced by Thibaut Courtois this season.

Real Madrid want to replace Iker Casillas with Cech, and they're apparently willing to use Khedira as leverage in any potential deal, leaving Arsenal out in the cold.

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Maybe that's why Wenger lashed out in Chelsea's 2-0 win, then. Maybe it was one blow too many.

When Chelsea stole Willian from under the nose of Tottenham Hotspur in 2013, Mourinho gloated in the press.

"That's the danger of medicals before contracts," he explained at the time, per BBC Sport.

Spurs looked all set to sign Willian, but before agreeing to his contract, had announced he would undergo a medical with the club. Then Chelsea made their move, stealing the player from their rivals at the last moment.

"The best thing to do is do the medical in secret," he continued.

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When asked whether he expected to have the deal for Willian wrapped up quickly, Mourinho laughed that Chelsea still needed to complete a medical for the player themselves.

Spurs weren't happy.

It was all good pantomime and Mourinho was only too keen to expertly play the villain in a case of one-upmanship over his former colleague and protege, Andre Villas-Boas, then Spurs boss.

A deal for Khedira isn't as last-minute or dramatic, yet it still comes with the same feeling of Mourinho deliberately outdoing an adversary.

Willian has proven himself an excellent acquisition, although at the time his arrival seemed more of a luxury buy for Chelsea. It was difficult to see how he would fit into an already congested position in Chelsea's squad.

It's similar with Khedira now.

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Any manager finds it hard to deny the temptation of quality additions, but there does come a time when the need for certain players ceases, however temporary that may be.

Looking at Chelsea's team, where would Khedira fit in?

The partnership of Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas in the pivot is among the best in European football right now.

It's difficult to see Khedira replacing either player, just as it is to consider him moving to west London for a similar role to the one he has on the bench at the Bernabeu right now.

There's an argument for him being John Obi Mikel's replacement, which would strengthen Chelsea considerably on paper. In reality, it's a different story.

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For all his faults, Mikel brings balance to Mourinho's squad. He isn't world class by any stretch, but he is sufficiently capable enough to support Matic when needed—coming off the bench or starting games when the Serbian is resting.

Mikel is a necessary evil.

Throwing Khedira into the mix creates the problem of having too much quality for one position, and more often than not, it's a recipe for disaster, leading to more problems than it solves.

Players of a certain ilk know when they're good enough to play regularly; Matic and Khedira would struggle to co-exist for that reason alone. It would be one or the other, and right now there's no reason Mourinho should be looking elsewhere where Matic is concerned.

After making just two appearances this term, the writing is on the wall for Cech. Mourinho would undoubtedly like him to stay, as it'll give him unrivaled strength with his goalkeepers.

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Cech is better than a substitute, though. His manager knows it, the player knows it and the rest of the football world knows it.

What he is better than as well is leverage in a battle of wills between two managers.

We can only speculate, of course, but is Mourinho using his goalkeeper as a way to very publicly get one over on Wenger?

There are few other reasons for him to be chasing Khedira.

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Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes