Chelsea legend Joe Cole has suggested that his former club should consider acquiring Real Madrid midfielders Luka Modric and Toni Kroos to infuse experience into their young squad.
During an appearance on talkSPORT, Cole emphasized that Chelsea could benefit from having Modric in their squad and also mentioned Kroos as a valuable addition.
“I’d be looking to bring in some experienced players who set the tone,” Cole said. “I’m thinking is Luka Modric out of [contract]? Does he want to come and play in the Premier League for one more year? He’s still doing bits at Real Madrid.
Toni Kroos (Via RealMadrid/Twitter)
And how much has he helped [Eduardo] Camavinga, [Aurelien] Tchouameni, [Federico] Valverde? He would’ve had such an influence on them as players.
Toni Kroos is 34. Does he want to test himself at his age? Coming over here and helping out this young [Chelsea] squad. They’re just names I’ve thrown off the top of my head, I don’t know their situation.”
Enzo Fernandez and Conor Gallagher, aged 23 and 24 respectively, are Chelsea’s oldest midfielders, with Moises Caicedo still only 22. In the entire squad, 39-year-old Thiago Silva is the only outfield player over 30 and looks set to leave this summer.
Modric and Kroos have extensive experience and success with Real Madrid, and Cole believes they could be tempted by a new challenge as they approach the twilight of their careers.
Luka Modric (Via fifacom/Twitter)
Chelsea attempted to sign Modric from Tottenham in the summer of 2011 with a £40 million ($51m) bid, but he was sold to Real Madrid for around £10m less the following year. Chelsea had also shown interest in Modric when he first came to prominence at Dinamo Zagreb, but he joined Spurs in 2008.
Chelsea need to salvage their season to avoid a total disaster. Mauricio Pochettino’s team remains in the bottom half of the Premier League table and lost the Carabao Cup final to a less experienced Liverpool side. However, they will return to Wembley next month for an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City.
Regarding Modric and Kroos, they are on track to compete for another La Liga title with Real Madrid and are set to face Manchester City in the Champions League semi-finals.
The outcomes of these competitions could influence where they play in the 2024/25 season. Carlo Ancelotti recently suggested that Modric’s future will be his own decision, with both players’ contracts expiring at the end of the campaign.
