Does a return for de Bruyne make sense?

Chelsea’s recent transfer business has been top notch – the club’s accountant must be as equally happy as Jose Mourinho with their forays into the market. They recruit players with meticulous planning and attention to detail and they sell players at their peak value to become true transfer window winners.

The West Londoners, somehow, negotiated a king’s ransom for David Luiz over the summer, while they acted swiftly to sign Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas. No messing around – just get it done before your rivals have a chance to reach for the cheque book – seems to be the ethos these days.

Through the net.

Even their mistakes in the transfer market have turned out to be successes. Letting Nemanja Matic leave in 2011, in hindsight, was a mistake. But the top brass at Chelsea were not afraid to admit they made a wrong call, they just re-signed the 26 year-old Serbian when Mourinho gave the nod.

No qualms and no dented pride. Chelsea got their man, again.

But is history about to repeat itself with another familiar face returning back down the Kings Road? This time it’s Kevin De Bruyne who is rumoured to be on his way back to Chelsea

The current Wolfsburg midfielder has been having a whale of the time in the Bundesliga this season – contributing eight league goals and 11 assists in 20 appearances from midfield – attracting the attention of Europe’s top clubs.

De Bruyne is no stranger to the German top flight after a successful loan spell at Werder Bremen in the 2012/13 season. The talented Belgian midfielder scored 10 league goals in 33 games in what was a poor Bremen side.

Successful return.

De Bruyne, now wearing the green of Wolfsburg, has continued where he left off and has emerged as one of the leading lights in Germany.

He was instrumental in the 4-1 drubbing of Bayern Munich last month with two brilliantly taken goals. And if he isn’t putting the ball in the net, he is creating chances and racking up assists. On current form, he has to be in the top ten midfielders in Europe.

Ironically, a former Chelsea teammate Andre Schurrle has also signed for Wolfsburg and, on paper at least, looks the ideal partner in crime. De Bruyne and Schurrle attacking in tandem should have Bayern Munich looking over their shoulder and ensure the title race is actually a race and not a procession that everyone expected.


You have to give credit where credit is due and De Bruyne deserves a lot for his decision to leave Chelsea 12 months ago. A firm believer in his own talent and worth, De Bruyne cut a frustrated figure at the lack of opportunities in West London.

Determined not to be kicking his heels on the Chelsea bench and with a World Cup on the horizon, the Belgian number 11 jumped at the chance to join the Dieter Hecking revolution at the Volkswagen Arena. It’s a move that has seen De Bruyne’s stock rise higher with every passing match.

Good business?

Chelsea, though, would have been more than happy with the £18m they recouped for a player they had signed for just £7m two years earlier. 

And you could understand why Mourinho left De Bruyne on the fringes of the first team. Chelsea were, and still are, well stocked in the attacking midfielder department. Oscar, Hazard, Mata and Ramires were formidable teammates to dislodge; meanwhile Mourinho added the signings of Willian, Salah and Schurrle to add further competition.

But as the Chelsea boss has proved, if he feels that the 23 year-old Wolfsburg maestro will give Chelsea an extra dimension, then it would be no surprise to see the Stamford Bridge hierarchy making contact with Wolfsburg to arrange a deal that would suit all parties.

Whether or not De Bruyne fancies a move back to the club that didn’t value him enough in the first place is another question. At the moment, Chelsea’s loss is definitely Wolfsburg’s gain.