Newspapers in Italy and England are reporting that Chelsea is apparently interested in bringing Goran Pandev to Stamford Bridge.

This rumor is tough to believe because Pandev has not been in good form for Inter over the past year but numerous newspapers are reporting the apparent Chelsea interest in Pandev so we decided to write an article.  Pandev recently turned 28 years old and just scored his 24th goal for Macedonia during yesterday’s friendly against Azerbaijan.  Goran had a disappointing season for Inter last year as he only scored two goals in 27 league appearances.  That is not a good ratio for a striker.  However, he did score some important goals in other competitions as Pandev scored during the FIFA Club World Cup against Mazembe and then scored his most important goal to date against Bayern München during the Champions League.  The late goal propelled Inter to eliminate the German giants from the competition.  Despite the goal, the Inter fans have been very critical of Pandev and want the club to sell the Macedonian international this summer.  Goran has been linked with Genoa, Napoli, and Fiorentina, but Chelsea is now the latest club to apparently show interest in Pandev.

Supposedly, new Chelsea manager André Villas-Boas sees Pandev as a good strike partner for Fernando Torres.  Pandev is most effective when he plays as a second striker.  At Inter, Pandev has mostly played as a winger who was given many defensive responsibilities and that seemed to affect his nose for goal.  Goran is known for his good vision and has the ability to made clever passes that create chances for his teammates.  Goran is left footed and also uses his right, although it’s much weaker than his preferred left foot.  Most of the strikers on Chelsea like to play in the box so adding a second striker in Pandev does made sense.  Now, whether this rumor is just speculation or indeed true will be known in the near future.  What is true is that Goran does not appear to be in the plans of new Inter manager Gian Piero Gasperini even though Pandev has played well in the preseason friendlies.  He was recently left on the bench during the Italian Super Cup against Milan.

Pandev has said in the past that is very happy with life in Italy and would like to continue playing in the country.  He was also due to become an Italian citizen after being in Italy for ten years.  He joined the Inter Primavera team as an 18 year old from Macedonian club Belasica.  If he joins Chelsea, it would be a curious move because England doesn’t really suit Pandev because the pace over there is a lot faster and Pandev has always had stamina issues so the added running associated with playing in England doesn’t seem to suit his talents.  The football in Italy is slower and players that usually do well must be technically gifted which suits Pandev better than the demands in England.

Goran is the most recognizable name on the Macedonian national team.  He has scored 24 goals in 60 appearances.  However, his last ten goals for the national team have all come during friendlies.  He has not played well during qualifiers and that has led to criticism from the Macedonian fans.  After the booing that took place following the Armenia game earlier this year during EURO 2012 qualifying, Pandev even contemplated retirement for the national team but later changed his mind and decided to continue playing for Macedonia.  He has not scored in a qualifier since September of 2008 so nearly three years have passed since Pandev last scored during a game that truly counted.