I think that spending £30 million on a player fast approaching 30 (he’s 30 now) is obscene – even a player as talented as Shevchenko. Roman Abramovich had his heart and wallet set on Sheva, but you can bet Jose Mourinho wasn’t as keen on signing the Ukraine legend. And for good reasons. Sheva’s best days are behind him, that much is clear. Team-mate Didier Drogba is currently playing him off the park and you have to wonder if Sheva will ever find his feet in London. Speaking on Match of the Day at the weekend, Alan Hansen expressed his fears for Sheva:
‘I think he looks heavy-legged. I don’t think he can run that fast… When
we saw him at the World Cup, he’d been out for a long time and the
argument was that he wasn’t fit. I keep on hearing and reading that
he’s going to get better and in time he will score goals… I’m
not so sure. His performances so far in the Premiership have not been
that great and when Michael Ballack and Joe Cole come back, I’m not
sure he’s going to play.’
Have to agree with Alan. I think Chelsea have bought a £30m dud, albeit a supremely talented dud who will rightly go down in history as one of the greatest goalscorers of his generation. It’s sad to see him in the wrong place at the wrong time. I hope he proves me wrong.