Are reinforcements on the horizon?

By: Jack | January 20th, 2009

Can we talk about today’s historic events for just a second? What. A. Day.

Man, I can’t really put it all into perspective. All I can say is, I loved every minute of it. Well, almost every minute. What was up with that poem? Anyway, he’s to a new era, hopefully one of hope, change and love.

On with the show.

So Joey boy is done for the year. A ruptured knee ligament did the business to our only legitimate wing option this season.

PK and Scolari have repeatedly said only money would be available in a crisis. Well, this is sort of a crisis. So the question begs: Will we see a new face roaming Stamford Bridge before the end of the month?

Well, there are signs that we’re at least inquiring about a few players.

The first name to surface this week was Jermaine Pennant. Next.

Then there was David Bentley. Next.

Now we’re looking at Wigan’s maestro, Antonio Valencia. Now we’re talking. The 23-year-old has been a constant for Wigan over the past two seasons, and has looked incredibly good at the same time. He’s not cup-tied, is well-adapted to the Premier League and has an end product (paging Flo?). The Daily Mail reckons we’ll toss a 7 million offer at Wigan and see if they bite. I doubt they will.

Real Madrid just recently pulled out of the running for the winger. Good for us. Manchester United have been tracking Valencia since last season. Bad. A bidding war wouldn’t be the best thing for either club at the moment, but who knows if United are willing to spend more this window. If not, we could probably strike a deal for around 15-16mil. Personally, it’s seems like decent business to me.

Let’s take a look at it. Valencia is actually better than any of our current wing options, including Joe Cole. And even if we break the bank in the summer, he would still be a valuable asset. In fact, he could probably still start; if not, he’s the kind of bench material we’ve needed since we the likes of Duff, Robben and Eidur got the hook.

Then there’s Robinho.

Yes, the man that has run out on Manchester City. Well, we don’t know that for sure. He says he returned to Brazil to attend to a family matter. With that being said, this is a longshot.

However, if he is in fact displeased with the club for whatever reason, who’s to say we shouldn’t make a cheeky bid for the 24-year-old. I mean, he has acclimated well to the Premier League. And, while he may be a spoiled brat, he might just cheer right up wearing our shade of blue. I’m willing to take a punt, but I digress.

What do you guys think? Will we be making a move in the next week or so? Or will we be riding with what we’ve got until the summer?