Jose Mourinho Must Resist the Urge to Offload Classy Operator Andre Schurrle

It wasn't so long ago Andre Schurrle was being spoken of as a bright talent by Jose Mourinho.

He wasn't just one for the future, but also a player for the here and now.

When the German scored his first Chelsea hat-trick in March, Mourinho was purring.

"Andre, in front of goal, has cold blood," he said, per talkSPORT. "He looks to the keeper and can put the ball through his legs, can dribble and score in an open goal. He’s a really good finisher."

Mourinho's rarely wrong about his players and he was right to be so positive after that 3-1 win over Fulham—a victory inspired by Schurrle's prowess.

It's why the Chelsea boss must resist the urge to move him out of Stamford Bridge.

Throughout the summer, it was Atletico Madrid being linked with a move for the German and this week his name has been mentioned in a potential swap deal with Borussia Dortmund's Marco Reus, via The Daily Star's Nick Lustig.

Reus is some talent, as he has shown throughout the past couple of seasons with Dortmund in the Bundesliga and Champions League.

Is he what Chelsea needs?

The belief is often such that any talented player should always be needed by a club, but why look elsewhere when you already have it?

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

There's equally a case for loyalty in football as much as there is a need to bring in big names.

From being a World Cup hero with Germany, Schurrle has endured a tough time of it since the beginning of October when a virus prevented him from adding to his 42 international caps.

Failure to shake it significantly has also seen him miss out in the latest international break, as reported by The Guardian this week.

Perhaps most significantly, it's impacted his form at Chelsea, too.

Unfit and and out of sorts, Schurrle has frustrated his manager with some patchy displays, especially against Maribor in the Champions League when he was pulled off at half-time.

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

Against Liverpool last weekend, he didn't even make the bench, either.

Virus aside, however, much like his compatriot Reus, Schurrle is a player of significant ability. He can finish, he can create and he also has a knack for popping up at vital moments.

He did that for Germany at the World Cup, scoring in extra-time against Algeria in the Last 16 before assisting Mario Gotze for the winning goal in the final win over Argentina.

And it was a similar story in his debut campaign at Chelsea when he finished the year with a healthy nine goals.

In amongst that tally were strikes against Manchester City and Arsenal, while Schurrle scored the vital goal that got Chelsea back into their Champions League quarter-final tie with Paris Saint-Germain—a game they eventually won 2-0 to progress.

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

That ability to arrive at the right moment is a knack few players have and in Schurrle, Chelsea have one.

He's a classy operator.

No doubt, swapping him for Reus wouldn't weaken Chelsea, yet there's no guarantee the latter will arrive and have the impact he has had at the Wesfalenstadion under Jurgen Klopp.

It would be a case of swapping like for like without a guarantee at the end of it. Where is the logic in that?

Reus is being discussed in transfer rumours right now as his contract stipulates he can leave Dortmund for a minimum in the summer, per Goal's Peter Staunton.

When a player of his talents can suddenly be bought on the cheap in comparison to what the going price would normally be, it's big news and has added to his growing profile.

It hasn't made him a better player, though. And it doesn't make Reus any more a player Chelsea need.

Schurrle continues to develop and with time, he will flourish in west London. There's little need to kill the dream just yet.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes obtained first-hand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes