Chelsea Transfer Rumors: Adding Maicon and Losing John Terry Wouldn't Help Blues

With the transfer window heating up, Chelsea is not surprisingly in the middle of all the action. But two recent rumors suggest the team could face a downgrade in defense.

We'll start with the player rumored to be lured away from the Blues, John Terry. From the Daily Mail:

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Paris Saint-Germain are lining up an £8million bid for Chelsea captain John Terry.

Despite the controversy over his selection, Terry impressed during his four appearances for Roy Hodgson's side this summer.

And PSG, managed by former Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti, are chasing the 31-year-old after a £45m move for AC Milan's Thiago Silva fell through.

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While Terry is no longer a young man and looked shaky at times last season, he also very quietly had an excellent Euro 2012 tournament and is still a reliable player at center-back for the Blues.

Where he's lost a step—and if we're being honest, speedy forwards have always given him some headaches anyway—he makes up for it with craftiness and excellent positioning. Chelsea make be looking to get younger and more exciting this offseason, but losing Terry would be a blow.

And bringing in right back Maicon wouldn't soften the blow much. From the Daily Mail:

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Chelsea have emerged as favourites to sign Brazil right-back Maicon from Inter Milan after Real Madrid shelved their interest.

Maicon is available for around £6million as his contract has one year to run but Real believe that fee plus high wages are too much for a player who turns 31 later this month.

Chelsea also have an interest in Lille's Mathieu Debuchy who is the subject of a £6m bid from Newcastle.

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Adding Debuchy is intriguing, however.

In terms of Maicon, he'll bring speed and an attacking dynamic to the right back position for Chelsea, certainly aiding the team's counterattack. But one wonders if he has the stamina to sustain a full season of play in the Premier League at this point.

More likely, he'll be used in about 15-20 matches for the team, namely if they manage to land Debuchy to hold down the position more regularly. That combination and depth for Chelsea would certainly provide a serious upgrade at the right back position.

But it wouldn't replace the leadership or steady presence up the middle that Terry has long brought to the Blues.

As always, it's important to remember that these are simply rumors and there are never any shortage of those to go around this time of year. I have a hard time believing Terry would leave Chelsea at this stage in his career.

But if he does, the Blues would feel the sting of his departure.

Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets want Dwight Howard to just get traded already, too.