Franck Ribery to Chelsea: Five Reasons It Is a Better Deal Than Modric

Chelsea’s summer has been dominated by the transfer saga of Luka Modric. All moves, including their latest to bring in sensational winger Juan Mata, have fallen in the shadows of this looming deal.

With the close of the transfer window only hours away, Chelsea, in a surprise move, has appeared to have had enough of Tottenham’s audacious and unsportsmanlike handling of the situation with the Croatian, and set their eyes on a new man: Franck Ribery.

The former French footballer of the year was once the biggest name in the sport. He has fallen off that mark over the past few years, but still has all the skill and talent necessary to help return Chelsea to glory.

Here are five reasons Ribery's signing would be a better deal for Chelsea, instead of him continuing to pursue the hapless Modric.

Price

As of yesterday, it looked like Modric was going to cost Chelsea somewhere in the neighborhood of £40 million and possibly a player or two. Those kind of figures would make him the most expensive transfer in the Premier League this summer, surpassing City’s £38 million they shelled out for Sergio Aguero.

Yet, the odds that he will give Chelsea the type of production Aguero has already given City are slim to none. Many fans who were originally very supportive of signing the Croatian have backed cooled their hopes, as they don’t price the midfielder anywhere near this figure.

Chelsea have reportedly offered Bayern Munich £30 million for the services of Ribery. Of course this is still a substantial amount of money, but not the kind that expects an over the top return. Not to mention that Ribery has earned this kind of price tag after a long and successful career both internationally and at the club level.

A History of Success

Ribery’s career is a highly decorated one. He has many accolades to his name including French player of the year twice (’07 & ’08), German footballer of the year (2008), UEFA team of the year (2008), two Bundesliga titles (‘07/’08 & ‘09/’10), Champions League and World Cup runner-up.

Modric on the other hand has only a few titles from his time in the Croatian league and a spot on the 2008 UEFA Euro Cup tournament team.

These kind of facts show the level difference in the players' experience at the highest level and how they handle it. Once you are a winner, you are always a winner. Chelsea is right now trying to get back to that spot. As young players come in and develop in the club, it is better to have veterans around and on the field who know what it takes to win. Ribery has this, Modric does not.

He Is the Player Chelsea Really Needs

Modric has been touted as an unlocker of defenses. Someone whose vision and crisp passing will provide that initial ball to get the attack going. This may be true, but even if it is, it is not what Chelsea really needs.

Frank Lampard has struggled as the forward lying midfielder in Villas-Boas’ 4-3-3 attack. He is not used to playing in crowded areas and is not the best skill-wise with the ball on his feet. He is more comfortable laying deep and playing the ball through to the forwards.

Ribery on the other hand loves to play in the middle, on the top of the box. He is one of the most skilled players in the world and has hundreds of highlights to prove it.

Chelsea already has that player who can pass with pinpoint accuracy in Lampard. It has just been hard to see, as he has been called on to fit a role he is not all use to. With Ribery at Stamford Bridge, Lampard can slide back into space and let Ribery’s dribbling attract defense, opening up space for him and the forwards. Modric would just be another Lampard.

New League Means New Life

Modric is now entering his fourth season in England. Though this is not necessarily true, players can often dip in form as they spend more and more time in one league, especially players that play a rather straight forward style such as Modric. This does not have as much to do with their own play as it does with other teams and coaches figuring out how to defend them.

Modric has the risk that teams could begin to stymie his play and make him largely ineffective. His already low statistical numbers dropped slightly from '09/10 season to '10/'11, despite having a better team around him.

This was evident in even a great player like Christiano Ronaldo. Not to say he was not great in his final season at United, but you can see that defenders had stopped going in on challenges after learning from his previous season and how he will beat you.

Ribery coming to England would be him entering new territory filled with players and coaches who have not played against him at this level. He could come in and have an immediate impact the same way other league transfers such as Aguero, Juna Mata and Luis Suarez have. Chelsea have already made signings for the future. They need to make one for now.

He Can Still Get It Done

The most prominent argument against Ribery and for Modric is that Ribery is past his prime and Modric is coming to it. Well this may seem true after a relatively unsuccessful ‘10/11 season, but it is in fact false.

Ribery battled through injuries all year including a surgery. They ruled him out for long periods of time and made him mostly ineffective in Bayern’s campaign. However, there is a correlation that can be made between his injury, as well as Bayern’s third place finish and horrid Champions League display.

Little changed from the ‘09/’10 season when they won the league, the domestic cup and were runners up in Champions League. In fact, the only major thing that changed was Ribery not playing. This shows how he can influence a side and make them better by simply just being on the field.

And even if he were to be injury prone, he seems to recover nicely. 11 goals and 21 assists in 32 appearances is not too bad for having consistent physical issues.

Chelsea are in desperate need of a player that can come in and influence the run of play right now. They have already signed plenty of players for the future. They need a player for now and Ribery is it.