As far as a fit at Chelsea goes, Shea shouldn't have any issues. He seems to fit the utility left sider at the moment that we were shopping for when we were after Alvaro Pereira, and he could certainly develop into a starter for us in the future. The fact that he can probably slot in as cover for the central midfield, center of the defense, or as a striker certainly add to his appeal. He'd also be one of the few players who should have absolutely no question about how he'd adapt to the physical play in England, as MLS is probably an even more physical league than the Premier League. He'd also fit nicely with the youth movement which Chelsea has been showing us in recent windows.
Shea would make more sense as a January buy than as a summer buy. MLS is in their offseason during the winter, so moving Shea in January would allow them time to look for a replacement for him. I could see them being more motivated to listening to offers for his services this winter than they would be in June, as they'll likely be able to do a better job reshaping the roster then. I have no idea what he'd cost, as MLS hasn't really had a top young talent like Shea sold to Europe yet, but I can't imagine he'd be prohibitively expensive. Shea seems open to a move to Europe eventually as he noted in this interview.
On top of his raw physical talent, I like Shea as a marketing investment for Chelsea. The US is certainly a booming soccer market at the moment, but one thing they lack is a real face of the national team playing in Europe. They had that for a short time when Landon Donovan was loaned to Everton, but with Donovan aging the face of the national team will likely be someone else by the time the next World Cup rolls around. It's very possible that Shea could go on to fill that void, as he's certainly got the talent to do so. He's also well known for his ever changing hairstyles, so he and Luiz together could be fun.
So far I've seen Shea linked to both ourselves and Manchester United as well as Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in Germany. It's not hard to see what those clubs all like, as Shea certainly has both the talent and marketing potential to be a great investment. He'll be one to keep an eye on going forward, as his fantastic MLS season will likely have him moving to Europe in the very near future. Here's hoping that future ends up being to Chelsea...
