Joe Cole believes Xhaka will be a good fit for Chelsea.

Joe Cole has stated that Xhaka will be the "right man" in Chelsea's dressing room, and The Blues' pursuit of this midfielder is a sign of a "positive step" in the transfer market. Chelsea appears to have moved beyond focusing solely on young players and has turned its attention to Xhaka, with new manager Xabi Alonso reportedly being the driving force behind the deal.

Xhaka certainly played under Alonso at Leverkusen, and the two had a very successful partnership, winning the undefeated Bundesliga title in the 2023/24 season. Last summer, the former Arsenal captain returned to the Premier League to join Sunderland, where his excellent performances for the Black Cats earned him further recognition. According to reports from Germany over the weekend, Chelsea has reached a verbal agreement with Xhaka's representatives, and the Swiss international is also keen to move to Stamford Bridge. However, Sunderland is unwilling to lose one of its most important players, and Chelsea's leadership recognizes that it will not be easy to sign this midfielder from the Stadium of Light.

It is understood that Chelsea's initial offer of €8 million was quickly rejected by its Premier League rivals. As Club World Cup champions, it remains to be seen whether Chelsea will make another offer.

Joe Cole told Paddy Power: "For Chelsea fans, the pursuit of Xhaka is a good sign—it shows the club is no longer bound by the idea of only signing young players and developing them.

"They seem to be making steady progress. He's exactly the type of person you need in the dressing room.

"He played very well at Sunderland last season and was excellent at Leverkusen. At Arsenal, he was even a leader.

"I like how they're backing Xabi Alonso. I like all of this."

Although Joe Cole believes Xhaka may not be an absolute starter for Chelsea, he asserts that the Swiss midfielder would bring valuable leadership qualities to a dressing room clearly lacking experienced players from last season.

Joe Cole added: "He played in almost every match at Leverkusen and Sunderland. When he comes to Chelsea, will he play every match? If he doesn't play every match, can he still be an outstanding leader? I think he can. I certainly hope so.

"He won't start ahead of Moises Caicedo and Enzo, who, in my opinion, are two of the best midfielders in world football.

"We'll wait to see if he signs. But I like this: if he joins, it's certainly Xabi Alonso's decision."

Should Xhaka join Chelsea, he could form a midfield trio with Caicedo and Enzo, which many consider one of the strongest midfield partnerships in English football.

However, Enzo's future remains uncertain. The Argentine international publicly criticized Chelsea's leadership last season and is reportedly pushing for a high-value transfer, with Real Madrid as his target. Worse yet for Chelsea, Cucurella, after moving from Chelsea to the Bernabéu this summer, is also encouraging Enzo to join him in Madrid.

Joe Cole commented on Cucurella's recent remarks: "That's not something I would do.

"I think it's a mistake for a player to do that.

"He's an intelligent man; he knows he's deliberately causing trouble. There are many ways to handle such situations.

"If you're willing to sign a seven-year contract, you can't publicly express interest in another club three years later, whoever it may be."

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