According to the Daily Mail, Everton are among the clubs currently monitoring the situation of Chelsea veteran defender Branislav Ivanovic. The 32-year-old centre/right back has only made 13 appearances for the Blues this season in the Premier League, the last seven of those coming as a back-up to right wing-back Victor Moses.
Ivanovic is in the last six months of his current one-year deal with Chelsea, signed in January last year following rumours linking the Serbian international to a move to Inter Milan. But unlike last season, Ivanovic has not played an important part in Chelsea's campaign, serving mostly as a late-game defensive substitution.
Everton's interest in Ivanovic has been prompted by the potential exit of defender Phil Jagielka, who has been at Goodison Park since 2007. The Mail reports that West Ham, Sunderland and other mid-table hopefuls are interested in Jagielka's services, and the centre back is ready to leave the club. Meanwhile, the newspaper claims Ivanovic would be allowed to exit Stamford Bridge this month.
Whether you like it or not, it seems that we are set to lose the last two members of the Old Guard by the end of the season, with John Terry’s contract also in its final few months and without a renewal in sight. But this is just the natural course of sport: veterans giving way to the next generation.