 After his main competitor for a defensive spot, Bosingwa, went down with a season-ending knee injury in October, Ivanović became an automatic choice in the Chelsea defence.Though much more settled into the Chelsea first team than in previous seasons, Ivanović continued to figure as a transfer target for various European teams, highlighting his recent form.On 22 December, a week before the opening of 2009–10 winter transfer window, he was placed on the cover of "Marca", the influential Spanish sports tabloid that maintains strong links to Real Madrid.