Chelsea FC Transfer Rumors: 5 Reasons Why Losing Neymar May Be for the Best

Since the summer of last year the rumors about the young Brazilian sensation Neymar, have had him pegged for a move to Stamford Bridge.

With the high offensive tactics of Andre Villa-Boas now commanding the club, the speculation has only intensified. He looks to be the perfect wing player in the 4-3-3 formation. The skill and creativity in his play would attract defenders and open up runs for the ailing Torres as well as create more space for Lampard (or whoever will be in that attacking midfield role) to be more involved in the final third.

But after two years of tracking the player some have deemed a combination of Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, it seems to be all for not, as recent rumors have the Spanish giants Real Madrid the front runners to sign him. The Spanish newspaper Marca reports that the 19 year-old personally prefers Los Blancos. In a conversation he had with Brazilian team mate Dani Alves, Neymar said "I do not know anything about Barcelona. Next year I want to play for Real Madrid."

After two long years it looks like Chelsea will lose out on the young prodigy. Fans of the Blues around the world may look back on this as Villa-Boas first shortcoming or that perhaps Chelsea will never have enough history and stature in the footballing community to attract youngsters like Neymar.

Then again, perhaps losing Neymar to Real Madrid may not be the end of the world. There are plenty of reasons to sign him, but there are also reasons why not to. Yes he is young. Yes he is great. Yes he has a bright future in the game. All these also come with some baggage that may make his absence better for the club overall.

He Has a Bad Attitude

The problem with child prodigies is that the coaches, fans, and media tend to build them up to be something that they are not.

Their whole lives they know nothing other than they are the best and greatest. If someone is not there to keep them tethered to reality, their sense of entitlement becomes artificially inflated.

At only 19, Neymar seems to already have this complex.

In his short professional career he has already won the league, the league cup, and Copa Libertadores. He has also garnered numerous individual awards including the Brazilian Golden Boot in 2010.

But he has also had altercations off the field.

In September 2010, Neymar was fined for a spat he had with Santos coach Dorival Junior. The incident occurred after a 4-2 win and was reportedly over the coach's refusal to allow the 18-year-old to take a penalty kick.

The coach then went on to express his concerns over the youngster's attitude. Even then it was becoming apparent that his temper could derail his future.

To make matters worse, the club ultimately decided to sack the coach and back their young superstar.

More recently, in this year's Copa America Neymar got into a scuffle with Venezuelan coach Cesar Farias in the tunnel at half time. Farias approached the Brazilian about not kicking the ball out of play when one of his players was injured.

Though it was started by the coach, Neymar would have been wise to just keep walking or respectively disagree. Instead his frustrations got the best of him and he turned it into an altercation.

Chelsea has dealt with their egos in the past, but they have always been from proven players. With a new coach, the last thing Chelsea needs is a youngster to split the locker room.

He Dives Too Much

In nearly all sports, officials are often criticized for protecting the stars. They seem to get more calls, easier fouls, and less contact than the others in the game. Logically leagues do this to protect their top assets, but in the case of Neymar he wouldn't necessarily be the top asset.

BBC's Tim Vickery sums up this idea perfectly:

"The problem here is that Neymar is a child of the contemporary criteria of Brazilian referees, a fruit of the poisoned tree. I have never seen a player who dives so often and so theatrically. This is clearly an impediment in his quest to reach the level of play (of) Lionel Messi."

For years Chelsea fans have laughed at the dramatic expressions of Cristiano Ronaldo hitting the turf in the most thespian of fashions. Then his accompanying arms raised, wide-eyed sighed completed and act that has made him one of the biggest divers in the game today.

The problem is that Neymar may be even worse than that.

He seems to be so used to getting every call he wants that if he were to come to England he may not be able to adapt to the concept that only the hardest of tackles will be called.

To much of my chagrin, Ronaldo got a lot of calls he should not have because he earned the right to be called the best player in the league. Defenders went after him and often the only way to stop him was to go in hard.

Part of the reason Neymar gets a majority of calls in his favor now is because he is the superstar of the league. On Chelsea he may not even be a starter, let alone a player of huge consequence.

Referees will not give him the benefit of the doubt simply because he has not earned it.

Brazilians Don't Do Well in England

The Premier League has long been one of the strongest leagues in the world. Because of that it is often followed and scrutinized more than any other. Players, managers, and teams receive more criticism and are held under the microscope more than other clubs.

This is a recipe that generally does not suit Brazilian's very well. Their Joga Bonito attitude toward the game and life, does not match up with the high publicity and pressure they face on English squads. The media rules opinion there and if they decide to turn on you can make the entire country your enemy.

On the field there is no sanctuary from the difference in styles either. The few Brazilian's who have been successful in English clubs, Denilson, Gilberto Silva, Alex, Lucas have all served primarily defensive roles. This is not that unusual considering defensive tactics and mentality change little from club to club.

But in regards to attacking players and forwards in particular, few have had lasting success. Again Vickery sums it up:

"The problem here is that domestic Brazilian football dances to its own beat. The defensive lines play deep, so there is space on the field. Today's referees will give fouls for anything and diving is tolerated - a scenario which fills the dribbler with confidence."

Robihno is a perfect example of the conflicting nature of the two leagues.

Robinho excelled at his time in Santos then at Real Madrid. When he came to Man City he played well, but was not quite able to be the player he was use to being. He just was not able to be on the ball long enough to do his thing.

Neymar plays a very similar style to Robinho. The magic that he does is all done when the ball is at his feet. His dribbles, passes, and shots are what has made him the most valued young commodity today. If he were to come to England, he may not be able to adapt and become a performer off the ball. If he cannot he will suffer the same difficulties as Robinho.

He Is Overvalued

When Chelsea signed Fernando Torres for an English record £50 million, they thought they were getting the answer to their Champions League woes. Instead they committed one of the biggest busts thus far in transfer history.

While everything mentioned in the first three slides can be argued to be small in comparison to his talent, the fact that his release clause is £40 million makes him a highly overvalued asset. At age 19, he would become the most expensive teenager ever.

Chelsea has reporedtly offered about £22million for Luka Modric, £27 million for Falcao, and £19 million for Eden Hazard. All three are proven players, who have shown that they can play on the biggest stages in Europe.

All of these players may have reached the peak of their career, but you know what you are paying for with them. Neymar may be an early bloomer and not far off from his full potential.

To put it in further context, Manchester City has high-balled Carlos Tevez at £50 million after his recent statements about wishing to leave the club. You  would be hard pressed to find many who would say the contributions of Tevez on and off the field are only worth £10 million more than Neymar's.

If Chelsea were to meet the release clause set by Santos, it could gut the teams transfer budget and make it difficult to improve in other much needed areas such as midfield depth. There are plenty of superstars and goal scorers on the team. There is also some good youth coming through the academy.

It just does not seem practical to break the bank on a gamble like this when it is not necessary.

They Can Always Get Him Later

The likes of Raul, Maldini, and Giggs are no longer seen in the modern game. Players move from club to club with ease and little guilt. Just because Chelsea was not able to land him this transfer window does not mean he is off limits to the club forever.

It is easy to see why he would choose Madrid.

The team is one of the most followed in the world, they play a style he is used to and Jose Mourinho is a great coach.

But over the next few years so much can change in such a young man's life.

If Mourinho is unable to deliver silverware next season he could be given his packing orders. A new coach could come in and implement a new style. New players arrive and suddenly Neymar can find himself on the bench and wanting out.

The benefit of this is it also serves as a watch-and-see approach to his development. No one knows what is going to become of him in the future, but Chelsea can sit back and watch his progress from afar without making the financial commitment.

If he is able to work out his ego and attitude issues, as well as continue to develop as a player, you can be sure that Abramovich will open his wallet and dig deep in the future to bring him to Stamford Bridge.