The loss of the soon to be 35 year-old [Marco] Materazzi is a particularly hard blow given his strong physical presence in the middle, which is hard to replace at this stage. There was some talk in Milan of an interest in bringing in Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvahlo, who played for Mourinho at both Porto and Stamford Bridge. This may not be so easy since the failure to seal a deal on Frank Lampard may have soured both sides soured on any further negotiations right now.I have to be honest, I don't see Onyewu in an Inter-Milan jersey unless Jose Mouriho can convince the Inter board that he is a good fit. Sure, Onyewu is a big boy and quite a physical presence in the central defense. Yet at teh same time, I am not sure he can play Italian style soccer.
This makes me wonder if Mourinho may look to acquire Oguchi Onyewu not only as an early season stand-in but as a player to take on Materazzi's role in the future or better yet, to give him a sturdy physical partner to replace the often ailing Chivu. The new Inter boss had been keen to sign Onyewu in January 2007 during his last season at Chelsea but was not able to convince his club to spend the money at the time. Having been sold on him once before, could Mourinho now decide that the "American Materazzi" is at least a short term answer to Inter's defensive woes? At the same time, if Chelsea did sell Carvahlo to Inter, could this open an opportunity for Onyewu at Stamford Bridge and give Gooch the Premiership break he has been looking for? Is Gooch even ready for either club?
Likewise, I don't see him as a regular at Chelsea either. He might make the first team and would certainly benefit from the training environment, but Onyewu has been a regular starter and contributor at Standard Liege, and I don't know if he can take riding the pine for most of a year at Stamford Bridge (of course a loan deal through January could help Onyewu as well as a lower level club). I do like Onyewu's chances and style in the Premier League more than Serie A.
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