The January window has come to a close; the signing of Juan Cuadrado from Fiorentina on the last day was funded by the departure of German international Andre Schurrle, who ended a difficult spell in West London without the vital career amplifier he would have been hoping for.
Andre Schurrle joined Chelsea in June 2013, hoping to kick-start his career in English football at a club that homed his heroes, and justify the £18m price tag given to him when Mourinho snapped him up from Bundesliga side Bayern Leverkusen.
Schurrle was – and still is – an exciting prospect in the world of football. Perhaps Chelsea was the wrong decision at the wrong time – but who can blame him? Leverkusen were struggling to assert any kind of authority in the Bundesliga or the Champions League, and when one of the greatest managers in the game comes knocking at your door, there’s no looking back. The 24 year-old enjoyed some fantastic times in his 18 months in West London, but those spectacular moments – the hattrick against Fulham, the PSG opener, the goal against City – were often marred by disappointing and frustrating (understated) performances.
His first start for the Blues gave fans a taste of his versatility as a player; an albeit dull 0-0 draw at Old Trafford saw the German play as our most attacking player in a false-nine formation, his pace on and off the ball a particular eye catcher.
However, by the end of the month his luck had slightly altered; Jose brought in Willian in the last few days of the summer transfer window, a defining moment in the 24 year-old’s Chelsea career. The competition for places just never seemed to pay off for Schurrle; no matter what he did or how he did it, it proved an impossible task to remove the Brazilian winger from the team-sheet. The German was often deployed against teams that were likely to sit back, emphasising Mourinho’s desire to play Willian for his defensive capabilities, and Schurrle for his sheer attacking presence and mind-set.
Schurrle netted nine goals in a difficult first season. Two against Stoke, a hattrick against Fulham and a few elsewhere. But his goals never seemed enough to merit a starting place. Perhaps it was his defensive frailties; Schurrle was often the scape-goat at difficult times last season and evidently it affected his career at the Blues. He seemingly went from an exciting future prospect to a regular substitute and hopeful impact player, which unfortunately didn’t suit him.
He has all the attributes of a great winger and attacking player; it’s needless to say he’s impressed on the biggest stage – the World Cup. He suits a German team and a German style of play much more than he suits Chelsea. His pace to beat a man was, at times, electrifying. One thing that made him stand out to me was his selfish, but creditable, eye for goal. Sadly, as he tried fighting his way back into the team, the shots went wide and over and the goals dried up; the late efforts appeared desperate and it was evident he was going to struggle to knock Willian off of his perch.
In his 18 months at Chelsea, Schurrle only started 28 matches across all competitions – no where near the volume the winger needed at the peak of his career and fitness to evolve as a player. The inconsistencies in Schurrle’s performances are perhaps what pushed him out the door.
Hopefully the 24 year-old will find himself again at Wolfsburg and be the player we hoped to see, but only received a glimmer of.
Watching the German perform in a Chelsea shirt just highlighted how nothing ever seemed to quite come off. A period of ‘almost’ moments left Schurrle falling short of what might have been a fantastic stepping stone in his career.