Chelsea Transfer News: Alex and 5 Places the Brazilian Could Land

Alex’s career at Stamford Bridge has always been one in the shadows but successful nonetheless.

When he first came, he played behind John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho. Injuries to Carvalho in 2008 gave him his first chance at being an everyday player. He filled the role well, becoming a staunch defender and an offensive threat both in the air and on long-distance strikes.

Alex’s 30-yard free kick against Liverpool in the 2009 Champions League semifinals still remains one of the greatest in the club’s history.

However, at age 29 and with the arrival of David Luiz last winter, he has again seen himself relegated to the bench.

Rumors have begun to circulate about the potential for Alex to be sold to another club. Many have shown interest in the Brazilian as he still has the skill and physical abilities that brought him to Stamford Bridge three seasons ago.

Here are five places he could land before the close of the 2011 summer transfer window.

Juventus

Juventus appears to be the front-runner right now for Alex’s services. The storied Italian club has been looking to reclaim the glory they had before the team was involved in a match-fixing schedule and found themselves relegated to Serie B.

Their seventh-place finish last season was the worst in recent history and led to the dismissal of two managers and the club president.

The much-maligned defensive strategy of Juventus came increasingly under pressure as teams like Napoli, AC Milan, and Inter began to construct teams around a creative midfield that could easily pick apart zonal defensive schemes.

With the legendary Antonio Conte now at the helm in Turin, and cries from fans for a more explosive attack, Alex oddly enough is an ideal candidate to be signed.

His time in the Premier League taught him the techniques of one-on-one marking. He has become incredibly adept at this style of defending. It also helps to have a defender that can play with the ball at his feet like he does. He is never afraid to carry the ball as far up the pitch as he has room, making him the dual threat Conte needs.

Alex seems to be promoting the move to Turin in order to gain more playing time.

He told Sky Sports Italia, “My agent has been contacted by Juventus, I am 29 years old and it would be a great opportunity. I would love to play in Italy and I hope I can realize this dream before I retire.”

As it stands right now, it appears Juventus only wants him on loan, but Chelsea is only willing to sell. The two have yet to come to an agreement, but with Alex’s push, a deal can be expected within the next few days.

Arsenal

Arsenal has gotten off to a horrid start in 2011. With only one point in three games and pitiful displays in them all, Arsene Wenger has come under increasing pressure from the fans and the club.

His sale of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri left them without the creative midfield attackers to run his offense. The sale of Gael Clichy depleted a back line that already lacked depth.

The team’s 8-2 beatdown at the hands of Manchester United last Sunday is really a testament to how far this club has fallen. Forced to play without eight starters due to injury and suspensions, the prospect of winning at Old Trafford was always a long shot, but lack of depth can easily be seen by a result like this.

Wenger’s belief in raising young players to greatness through the academy and reserve squad does not seem to work when the players are sold off in their prime. He also seems to be plugging players in well before they are ready for the quality of the Premier League.

With Arsenal currently -8 in the goal differential column, they have the disgrace of being the worst defense in the league.

Wenger has recently come to the realization that this team is not good enough to win a thing, The Sun reported.

The Frenchman has been rumored to have interest in luring Alex away from Chelsea to relocate in the North of London.

The move seems to benefit both the club and the player. Arsenal is in desperate need of not only bodies but also experienced defenders who are already used to this level of footballing. For Alex, it would move him out of the shadows and give him a chance to finally show his worth on a day-in, day-out basis.

Arsenal is prepared to shell out £7 million to their rival for the Brazilian. However, Chelsea, who is in need of defensive depth themselves, is asking for £10 million. With the huge amounts of cash Wenger is sitting on from the Nasri and Fabregas deals, it may be time for him to ditch his frugality and finally help make this team relevant again.

Real Madrid

Real Madrid has been the victim of Barcelona for far too long. It is obvious that their frustrations have boiled over into anger, and they are more determined than ever to take La Liga back to the capital.

They already have one of the most stacked and expensive teams on the planet, loaded with talent and depth in all positions throughout the field. But this was also true before Jose Mourinho spent €60m plus to bring in Fábio Coentrão, José Callejón, and Nuri Şahin.

Mourniho has never been one to stop the spending when he feels he has had enough, because nothing is ever enough for the special one. When he wants a player, he pays whatever it takes to get him.

With Ricardo Carvalho, Pepe, Raul Albiol, and new arrival Raphaël Varane already making up an established central defense, it is tough to imagine where Alex would fit into this group. But nonetheless, Mourniho wants to reunite with the Brazilian, who was one of his last official signings while at Chelsea.

With the amount of competitions that Madrid will play in this season as well as the fact that there are no points to be spared when competing with Barcelona, the team must always be the best 11 Mourniho can play. Alex would add to that depth and give the manager another option should injuries or suspensions pile up.

Mourinho has reportedly offered his former club £12million for the center-half, but as with most transfer rumors, Villas-Boas has been mute on the conversation. But Madrid is another likely spot where Alex may find himself more comfortable and more appreciated.

Bayern Munich

Bayern did not have the worst of seasons last year, but a third-place finish and an embarrassing loss to Inter at home to knock them out of the Champions League is not enough for the German juggernauts to be satisfied.

Defense was their Achilles heel last season, giving up far too many goals, especially at clutch moments. When everyone is chasing Borussia Dortmund with an impressive record of only 20 goals against, every mental lapse defensively can do a lot of damage.

The Bayern style of play relies heavily on the use of outside backs to get high up on the field and join the attack. Philip Lahm has made himself into one of the premier left backs in the world by doing just that. Mario Gomez can owe many of his league-leading 28 goals to the play of those wing backs.

But to play this style, you risk leaving your center backs stranded on the counter. It requires talented and smart center halves who are able to slow that movement down until help can arrive. Alex is this type of player.

He also will remind the fans of the days of Lucio, one of the greatest to ever put on a Bayern jersey. Besides sharing the same mother country, they are similar in their style of play. Both are physical defenders who like to play up close to the body and dominate in the air. They are also of a traditional Brazilian mold and enjoy playing with the ball at their feet much more than many defenders. Not to mention they both have lethal shots from afar.

Bayern would do well if they could capture even half of what they had in Lucio with Alex.

For awhile Alex was Bayern’s backup plan if they were not able to land Man City’s Jerome Boateng for the amount they wanted. But with Boateng safely there and performing well, the prospect of Alex moving to the German club has died down.

But Bayern has continued to express interest as of mid-August. Formerly Goal.com reported that the two sides had agreed on a fee of €10m. However, with the loss of Slobadon Rajkovic due to his inability to obtain a work permit, the price may go up as they are now in need of center backs themselves.

The Chelsea Bench

As has been sated numerous times throughout this article, Chelsea lacks depth at the center back position. Only John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic, and David Luiz remain on the roster as true center halves. Should one of them, or any of the defenders for that matter, go down to injury or suspension Villas-Boas will have his hands tied trying to come up with a solution.

Alex has already been called upon by Villas-Boas in the first two games to start alongside Terry. He performed very well in the first but had a dreadful second game. With Ivanovic healthy and Luiz on his way, Alex could find himself fourth in the pecking order for preferred backs.

But this is not to say he will not get adequate playing time. Sometimes the hardest part for a player trying to break through is simply getting the time to show the coach he can do it. Terry is 30 years old and looks slower every year. They will be involved in four separate competitions this season and are looking to win them all. Villas-Boas will be forced to rotate his players and keep them fresh, which will give Alex plenty of opportunities to prove his worth.

The Chelsea bench may not look like the ideal spot to be this season, but it may just be the best for Alex to be on a team that will be in the highest level of every competition and get playing time while doing so.

More importantly it would be best for Chelsea as they will retain a very talented player who is currently a necessity at the club.

Where Do You Think He Will Land?

Will Alex be at any of these places come Wednesday? Or do you think he will be somewhere else?