Chelsea Transfer Rumors: Gregory van der Wiel Is Best Option Right Now

Gregory van der Wiel is Chelsea's best option in the transfer window of 2012.

According to Jason Burt of The Telegraph: "[Chelsea] have again been offered Ajax defender Gregory Van der Wiel, who was a target of former sporting director Frank Arnesen."

To that end, let's check out why Van der Wiel can help Chelsea the most during this transfer window season.

Van der Wiel's Forte

Gregory Van der Wiel's style of play is defense. During the UEFA Champions League tournament, he averaged 3.5 interceptions and almost two tackles in six appearances. Now, he did also average 1.3 fouls per contest but almost two clearances as well.

Van der Wiel has displayed a quick knack for getting out of tough positions and limiting opponents' scoring opportunities. Considering he's only 24-years-old, he's more experienced and has better instincts than he's given credit for.

Chelsea is a team that severely lacks defense and adding Van der Wiel would only bode well for the future.

Lack of Defense

No matter what the game implications or situations, Chelsea can't seem to hold on when in the lead or make a comeback when getting down early.

In a sport where scoring is already scarce by comparison to others, being at a defensive disadvantage will cost a team numerous games. Chelsea failed to build consistency as they hit a 3-5-1 stretch over roughly one month in the beginning of last season, and then went 2-3-4 from late January through early March.

For those 17 games spread out over two stretches, Chelsea's defense failed to help the offense. When it's explosive, we saw Chelsea score three-plus goals 20 times and go 18-1-1. Unfortunately, when the offense was not working, the defense could not hold the fort and the results were forgettable.

Where Van der Wiel Fits

The most obvious of positions is the right defender, but Van der Wiel's youth and potential will create developmental opportunities in the middle and left side.

Considering how much help Chelsea needs on defense, it couldn't hurt to try Van der Wiel in multiple areas. From a game-planning perspective Chelsea could position him against an opponent's best forward or striker to isolate that side of the field.

Worst-case scenario would be Van der Wiel staying true to his right-back position and Chelsea building the defense from that point on.

Stats courtesy of WhoScored.com.