Player Focus: Is Falcao Beyond Saving - Even by Mourinho?

In August, it will be 3 years since Falcao devastated Chelsea in just 45 minutes and left an indelible impression on a club that had already scouted him extensively. He left Chelsea’s formidable defensive unit looking pedestrian at best. Although the match itself could be dismissed as relatively meaningless, Falcao’s performance that night was not.

Ten years after making his professional debut at the age of just 13, Falcao made the move to Europe as he joined FC Porto. The deal was struck only days after he looked set to sign for rivals Benfica, who balked at the additional €700k that the striker requested. He went on to score 62 goals in 69 appearances for the Portuguese outfit including the goal that clinched Porto the Europa League. It was the final goal of André Villas-Boas’ brilliant Porto tenure.

With the success he enjoyed with the striker, André Villas-Boas looked to bring Falcao with him to Chelsea for £25M, but with Fernando Torres already on their books, Chelsea passed on the Colombian at the time. In July of 2011, Falcao signed for Atlético Madrid a month after extending his Porto contract. Realising they wouldn’t be able to hang onto him, Porto added a €45m buy-out clause into that deal. It did not deter Atlético Madrid from making Falcao the club’s most expensive player in their history and it would prove to be money well spent, or rather borrowed as Doyen Sports, the company founded by super agent Jorge Mendes, lent funds to Atléti to help complete the transfer.

Falcao went on to score 70 goals in 90 appearances for Atlético Madrid. In his first season he helped the club win the Europa League, where he was not only the top scorer but the first player to win consecutive titles with two different teams. The next season Falcao not only propelled Atlético to a third-place finish in La Liga but also helped them defeat Real Madrid for the first time in 14 years. At this point, the options for his future were endless.

This being the peak of Falcao’s already lengthy professional career, he had his choice of any number of top European clubs offering money and Champions League football. However, it was newly promoted Monaco that looked to have the deepest pockets to win over both Falcao and Mendes. At the time the striker claimed the £52m move was because his “heart had been with Monaco since my idol Thierry Henry played there.” Somehow his Henry leanings did not come into play as he and Mendes sought out a move to the Premier League.

In January 2014 disaster struck for Falcao as he suffered the second knee injury of his career - and potentially one that will prevent it from ever reaching the dizzy heights of years gone by. Falcao had scored 9 goals in 13 qualifying matches for the 2014 World Cup but despite drawn out attempts to prevent such an eventuality, he was forced “to support the team from afar”. Deemed fit, however, Falcao featured in Monaco’s pre-season and opening matches of the season, scoring 2 goals in his first 3 appearances.

Manchester United secured his loan services (with an option to buy), which would see the Colombian earn in the range of £265k a week. United’s struggles in general in the first half of the season masked any underlying problems that Falcao could be having. Louis van Gaal was trying to find his best XI and optimal formation while Falcao was adapting to yet another league — something that he had not struggled with before his anterior cruciate ligament injury.

But as Manchester United began to improve in the second half of the season, it was clear that one player was not. Undeterred by Falcao’s performances, Jorge Mendes planted the transfer seed as he declared he “may not be at Old Trafford at the start of next season but will play in one of the very best clubs in the world” back in February.

With just a single shot on target (and no goals) in his last 12 Premier League appearances for Manchester United, it was unsurprising the club did not exercise their option to buy Falcao from Monaco. He managed as many league goals last season as teammate Chris Smalling. Meanwhile Stoke and Tottenham were the only 2 teams who finished in the top 10 that Falcao managed a shot on target against. All of this begs the question as to why he is now linked with a move to Chelsea.

His performances at this summer’s Copa America have not done much more to instill confidence within the Chelsea faithful. Of all the outfield players to start all 3 of their group stage matches, Falcao secured the lowest WhoScored rating (6.16). He was taken off just after an hour against Peru in a match that ended as a goalless draw.

With his professional career starting at such an early age, encompassing not one but two knee surgeries, it’s looking likely that the peak of Falcao’s career could have been that night against the Blues. With Diego Costa as first choice striker, the fees being discussed for wages are astronomical for someone who would presumably play the role of second or even third choice striker. Although much is made of their time at Atlético together, it is often rumoured that Costa and Falcao did not get on, which could disrupt the camaraderie enveloping Stamford Bridge.

Undoubtedly the deal has more to do with Jorge Mendes and Jose Mourinho’s relationship than Falcao’s Premier League performances. The forward has admitted himself that where he ends up has little do with him. In a 2014 interview, he was quoted as saying “on very few occasions can the player make the decision to move from one club or to another. Many times I want to go to a particular club and I end up at another.”  With the season Falcao had at United, his stock has dropped significantly. Few clubs would be willing to take on a player at £265k a week, never mind the fact his return was just 4 goals.

Chelsea used all their negotiating skills and creativity to get Fernando Torres off of their wage bill. It doesn’t make sense they’d be willing to take on a striker who’s on an even bigger pay packet — and scoring fewer goals. Torres netted 11 times in his last full season at Chelsea. Maybe Mourinho really does believe his man-management skills can see Falcao get back to being even a shadow of his best. Maybe. But with Falcao’s current form it’s more likely that Jorge Mendes was having trouble getting the money he wanted for his client and rang up another man on his books and friend in Mourinho to help him out of a pinch.

Is Falcao a lost cause or is he worth the risk for Chelsea? Let us know in the comments below