Chelsea’s new winger Mohamed Salah could emulate the legendary Arjen Robben, according to the club’s defender Branislav Ivanovic.

Salah arrived at Stamford Bridge over the weekend for a fee of £11m from FC Basel, for whom he excelled against Chelsea – and Ivanovic – more than once. Basel beat Chelsea home and away in the Champions League group stage this season, Salah scoring in both legs. He was also impressive in the two games of the Europa League semi-final in 2013, scoring at Stamford Bridge.

“He was really good against us,” Ivanovic said yesterday of the 21-year-old Egyptian. “He played very well. We know him because we played him four times in the last two years. He is a great player, very quick, and goes forward with the ball. These are the kind of players we need to improve our team. He has time, he is young and it is maybe good for him to step up.”

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Salah was so good that Ivanovic compared him to Robben, who enjoyed three good years at Chelsea before becoming one of the world’s best wingers at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. “He reminds me of Robben, the way he plays always going from the right wing but going inside left-footed, I hope he is going to be important for us.”

Shape Created with Sketch. What are the biggest January transfers yet to happen? Show all 8 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. What are the biggest January transfers yet to happen? 1/8 Tom Ince to Monaco, £10m Monaco are leading the race to sign Blackpool winger Tom Ince according to reports. The England U21 international was reportedly driven by his father, Blackpool boss Paul Ince, to a meeting with representatives of the French club in London. The Blackpool boss cancelled a press conference ahead of his side's match with Barnsley earlier in the month after refusing to answer questions about his son's future. Instead he reportedly went to meet Monaco representatives, who can speak to the player whose contract expires in six months. Getty Images 2/8 Edinson Cavani to Manchester United, £40m Should United take the plunge and sell Wayne Rooney (either to Chelsea or otherwise) they'll need a replacement to fill his impervious shoes. The England striker will be out of contract next summer and is believed to want to make a decision on his future once the season has developed. Edinson Cavani is the international strike partner of fellow Uruguayan Luis Suarez and is reportedly disillusioned by football in Ligue 1. Reports surfaced this month that Sir Alex Ferguson had rung his former player Laurent Blanc, the current PSG manager, to sound out a possible move. GETTY IMAGES 3/8 Yohan Cabaye to PSG, £21m Newcastle United are preparing themselves for a considerable offer for Yohan Cabaye from the French giants after it emerged that they are willing to part with £21m for the midfielder. PSG have held a firm interest in the 28-year-old Frenchman for over a year and were expected to rival Arsenal for his signature in the summer. The Gunners' £10m bid was rejected and the Parisian club opted to bide their time despite Cabaye missing three games in an attempt to force a move away from St. James' Park. GETTY IMAGES 4/8 Dimitar Berbatov (back) to Tottenham, £1.5m His agent has already claimed that the Bulgarian would like to leave Fulham this month despite his contract expiring at the end of the season. With £2m believed to be enough to secure skillful striker, it would be a low cost, low risk option, but questions remain over his work rate and energy levels. Whether Berbatov would quench the thirst of fans who feel another striker is integral to their top four hopes remains uncertain, but he does come with a natural talent that few in the Premier League can match – if only he produced it regularly. Getty Images 5/8 Miralem Pjanic to Manchester United, £27m Roma star Miralem Pjanic has left the door open on a possible move to reigning Premier League champions Manchester United after admitting that he is 'flattered' by their interest. The 23-year-old Bosnia and Herzegovina international is also attracting attention from French giants Paris Saint Germain. Despite a move seeming unlikely during January, Pjanic appears open to a potential switch. It's a shame he isn't moving to a club in the capital, just because we could bring out our best 'Pjanic on the streets of London' gags. GETTY IMAGES 6/8 Andriy Yarmolenko to Liverpool, £10m Should they miss out on Salah, Liverpool may switch their attention to Dynamo Kiev's Andriy Yarmolenko. The Reds have held a tentative interest in the 24-year-old after he figured prominently for the Ukraine against England in last year's World Cup qualifiers. Yarmolenko has scored eight league goals in sixteen appearances for Kiev this season, and has fourteen goals for Ukraine. Kop manager Brendan Rodgers is rumoured to prefer Salah, but the Swiss club continue to stall on any potential deal. 7/8 Ravel Morrison to Fulham, £8m West Ham want a minimum of £10m for their sought-after midfielder Ravel Morrison, according to reports. Sam Allardyce's side have already rejected a £5m bid from Fulham and reported the club to the FA for alleged tapping up of the player. Fulham boss Rene Meulensteen has now reportedly been banned from talking about any transfers as the club try to avoid any more trouble. However West Ham No. 2 Neil McDonald said: “I would imagine everybody has a price. Asked if the Hammers want to keep the England under-21 star, he added: “Why not? He’s a talented player and we need talented players." Getty Images 8/8 Ilkay Gundogan to Manchester United, £25m United’s search for midfield reinforcements has led them to Borussia Dortmund’s Ilkay Gundogan, although they could face a fight with Real Madrid to sign the Germany international. With Anderson at Fiorentina on loan, it is believed David Moyes has stepped up his interest in 23-year-old Gundogan whose contract expires in 18 months and is valued at £25m. Part of the attraction is that the midfielder is not cup-tied for the Champions League as he has been out for most of the season with a back injury, although German newspaper Bild reports that Real are also admirers. “I will soon make a decision that will be well considered. It’s still really open,” Gundogan said yesterday. Getty Images 1/8 Tom Ince to Monaco, £10m Monaco are leading the race to sign Blackpool winger Tom Ince according to reports. The England U21 international was reportedly driven by his father, Blackpool boss Paul Ince, to a meeting with representatives of the French club in London. The Blackpool boss cancelled a press conference ahead of his side's match with Barnsley earlier in the month after refusing to answer questions about his son's future. Instead he reportedly went to meet Monaco representatives, who can speak to the player whose contract expires in six months. Getty Images 2/8 Edinson Cavani to Manchester United, £40m Should United take the plunge and sell Wayne Rooney (either to Chelsea or otherwise) they'll need a replacement to fill his impervious shoes. The England striker will be out of contract next summer and is believed to want to make a decision on his future once the season has developed. Edinson Cavani is the international strike partner of fellow Uruguayan Luis Suarez and is reportedly disillusioned by football in Ligue 1. Reports surfaced this month that Sir Alex Ferguson had rung his former player Laurent Blanc, the current PSG manager, to sound out a possible move. GETTY IMAGES 3/8 Yohan Cabaye to PSG, £21m Newcastle United are preparing themselves for a considerable offer for Yohan Cabaye from the French giants after it emerged that they are willing to part with £21m for the midfielder. PSG have held a firm interest in the 28-year-old Frenchman for over a year and were expected to rival Arsenal for his signature in the summer. The Gunners' £10m bid was rejected and the Parisian club opted to bide their time despite Cabaye missing three games in an attempt to force a move away from St. James' Park. GETTY IMAGES 4/8 Dimitar Berbatov (back) to Tottenham, £1.5m His agent has already claimed that the Bulgarian would like to leave Fulham this month despite his contract expiring at the end of the season. With £2m believed to be enough to secure skillful striker, it would be a low cost, low risk option, but questions remain over his work rate and energy levels. Whether Berbatov would quench the thirst of fans who feel another striker is integral to their top four hopes remains uncertain, but he does come with a natural talent that few in the Premier League can match – if only he produced it regularly. Getty Images 5/8 Miralem Pjanic to Manchester United, £27m Roma star Miralem Pjanic has left the door open on a possible move to reigning Premier League champions Manchester United after admitting that he is 'flattered' by their interest. The 23-year-old Bosnia and Herzegovina international is also attracting attention from French giants Paris Saint Germain. Despite a move seeming unlikely during January, Pjanic appears open to a potential switch. It's a shame he isn't moving to a club in the capital, just because we could bring out our best 'Pjanic on the streets of London' gags. GETTY IMAGES 6/8 Andriy Yarmolenko to Liverpool, £10m Should they miss out on Salah, Liverpool may switch their attention to Dynamo Kiev's Andriy Yarmolenko. The Reds have held a tentative interest in the 24-year-old after he figured prominently for the Ukraine against England in last year's World Cup qualifiers. Yarmolenko has scored eight league goals in sixteen appearances for Kiev this season, and has fourteen goals for Ukraine. Kop manager Brendan Rodgers is rumoured to prefer Salah, but the Swiss club continue to stall on any potential deal. 7/8 Ravel Morrison to Fulham, £8m West Ham want a minimum of £10m for their sought-after midfielder Ravel Morrison, according to reports. Sam Allardyce's side have already rejected a £5m bid from Fulham and reported the club to the FA for alleged tapping up of the player. Fulham boss Rene Meulensteen has now reportedly been banned from talking about any transfers as the club try to avoid any more trouble. However West Ham No. 2 Neil McDonald said: “I would imagine everybody has a price. Asked if the Hammers want to keep the England under-21 star, he added: “Why not? He’s a talented player and we need talented players." Getty Images 8/8 Ilkay Gundogan to Manchester United, £25m United’s search for midfield reinforcements has led them to Borussia Dortmund’s Ilkay Gundogan, although they could face a fight with Real Madrid to sign the Germany international. With Anderson at Fiorentina on loan, it is believed David Moyes has stepped up his interest in 23-year-old Gundogan whose contract expires in 18 months and is valued at £25m. Part of the attraction is that the midfielder is not cup-tied for the Champions League as he has been out for most of the season with a back injury, although German newspaper Bild reports that Real are also admirers. “I will soon make a decision that will be well considered. It’s still really open,” Gundogan said yesterday. Getty Images

Ivanovic knows the other January arrival, Nemanja Matic, even better, from his first spell with Chelsea and from the Serbian national team. Ivanovic is delighted to have him back.

“He was my best mate the last time when he was here,” Ivanovic said. “For me, he is like my brother and we do a lot of things together. It is a pleasure to have him here.”

The 25-year-old was impressive on his first start, controlling midfield against Stoke City in the FA Cup on Sunday. “Nemanja played very well today, you can see he has improved massively from the last time he was here,” Ivanovic said. “He was leading the game, he asks for the ball, goes forward, plays defensively.

“He is now a proper player. He has a different confidence, is a different player, with a different attitude, so he must be very important for us.”

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