Soccer News of Tuesday, 13 May 2014

Source: HITC

Was Samuel Eto'o season at Chelsea a success or a flop?

A few eyebrows were raised when he made the move from Anzhi to Chelsea, so was it worthwhile?

Chelsea have confirmed that Samuel Eto’o will not be playing beyond this season at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues’ striking options have been criticised this season, some even saying their lack of firepower and cutting edge up front was a big part in them ending the season without a trophy. But they brought in the Cameroon international who had a tremendous amount of pedigree.

et_sc He won La Liga titles at Barcelona along with the Champions League on two occasions and knew Jose Mourinho well from their time together at Inter Milan – in a treble winning side which included a Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich.

Other than Demba Ba, Eto’o took less time per minute spent on the pitch to find the net than any of the other forwards at the club. But with someone of such pedigree and a big reputation throughout Europe, some may think he should have been delivering more than just the 12 goals in all competitions this season.

Some will argue that some have been of great importance. A winner against Liverpool and a hat-trick against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge were signs that he could deliver big goals in big games.

However, it is perhaps unfair to put the burden on a 33-year-old to be your main outlet for goals if he is in and out of the side, and was probably viewed more of a stopgap by Mourinho. Nine goals from 21 appearances also isn’t a bad goalscoring rate, and some would argue that he maybe should have had more of a run in the side.

Though he didn’t set the world alight, he certainly contributed as Chelsea made progress in their transitional season on Jose Mourinho’s return to the club.

Will Samuel Eto’o be fondly remembered for his time at Chelsea?