Jackson Martinez would be a risk worth taking for Chelsea

Jackson Martinez appears to find himself at the centre of a typical modern transfer saga at present and Chelsea have been rather conspicuous by their absence from the most recent rumours concerning his talents

With the summer transfer window rapidly approaching, speculation as to the Colombian striker's next destination has begun to intensify.

The player's agent has understandably been very talkative about this very subject,claiming in reports released earlier on Wednesday that many clubs - including the likes of Arsenal, Roma Atletico Madrid, Valencia and Manchester United - were interested in his services and that Porto were seemingly willing to do business for a fee starting at around the £25 million mark.

Yet despite having been previously linked with a potential swoop for Martinez, Chelsea no longer appear to be considered as serious candidates in the race to secure his signature. 

Whether this is simply an oversight on behalf of the media, my own inability to recognise other reports or indeed a sign that Chelsea really are no longer particularly interested in bringing the 27-year-old to Stamford Bridge is unclear.

However, if it is the latter, I believe it is a particularly bad mistake on Jose Mourinho's part, especially given Martinez's quite breathtaking record and the fact that the Portuguese is obviously in need of improving the quality of his options in the final third ahead of the 2014/15 campaign.

Although Diego Costa - the mischievous and imposing Atletico Madrid striker - is widely expected to complete a move to Chelsea in the coming days, one can't help but feel that one addition of this nature simply isn't enough for the club to be able to fulfil their typically lofty ambitions. 

In an ideal world, Romelu Lukaku would return to Chelsea ready and able to prove that he is the right man to lead the line in West London following his hugely successful loan spells at West Brom and Everton.

However with a return for the Belgian seemingly having been cast into considerable doubt along with Samuel Eto'o's departure and rumours of potential exits for the likes of Fernando Torres and Demba Ba, Mourinho has his work cut out to mould his strikeforce ready for another assault on domestic and European glory.

Costa is a remarkable finisher and a real menace who is not afraid to get involved in physical battles with opposition defenders. As such, he should thrive in the fast and furious world of the Premier League.

Chelsea, though, will need another striker to compliment him, cover him and provide a slightly different option on the occasions where Costa is being sufficiently shackled.

As a pure out-and-out scoring talent with a real nous for consistently engineering himself into the correct positions inside the penalty box, Martinez could be equally as formidable a prospect in English football.

While it is perhaps true to suggest that he is yet to really prove himself on the world stage with his native Colombia, Martinez has been truly prolific during a two-year spell at the Estadio do Dragao - as a scintillating record of 40 goals in 66 games will testify - and appears to be entering his prime ahead of the World Cup.

Given that Martinez's only experience of domestic European football has been in the Primeira Liga where only a handful of clubs are considered to be capable of providing any real test, the former Chiapas man would certainly represent a risk for whichever manager moves fastest to sign him this summer.

However, for Chelsea and Mourinho in particular, I think Martinez would represent a risk that is certainly worth taking.

Article takne from: http://www.givemesport.com/474865-jackson-martinez-would-be-a-risk-worth-taking-for-chelsea