Chelsea are not short of talent in their midfield. Perhaps it is the least you might expect given the money they have invested to improve the options in the middle of the park, but Enzo Maresca is certainly spoiled for choice.
The first choice pairing in midfield has been Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez. The Ecuadoriancost £115m, which broke the British transfer record of £106.8m Chelsea spent on the 2022 World Cup winner. Although he is injured at the moment, Belgian midfielder Romeo Lavia is also an important player for the Blues, and he cost £58m.
Incredibly, the West London side might well be looking to add another expensive midfielder to their squad.
Chelsea target new midfield star
The player in question here is Real Madrid and France international midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni. The 24-year-old is seen as someone who can leave the Spanish capital for the right price.
According to a report from Spain, Chelsea are one of the sides who are fighting it out for the Frenchman’s signature. The West Londoners are also joined by Premier League rivals Liverpool and Manchester United in the race for the Frenchman, who ‘have all shown interest’ in signing him.
The price for Tchouameni is not currently clear at this stage. However, he is valued at £38m by Football Transfers, and Real Madrid’s reported intention is to sell the Frenchman ‘at a price that allows for immediate reinvestment’ into his replacement.
Thus, it is safe to assume he will be another expensive addition for the Blues.
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Why Tchouameni would be a good signing
Despite some injury issues this season for Tchouameni, the Frenchman has played an important role for Carlo Ancelotti’s side. The former Chelsea manager has played his number 14 on 21 different occasions this term.
The 24-year-old has out in some impressive performances this term, but perhaps none have been as commanding as the one against Real Betis in La Liga. As per Sofascore, he won 4/4 tackles, 8/9 ground duels and completed 93% of his passes.
Indeed, it is performances like this that the Blues will be hoping for from the Frenchman. If he lives up to that then he could finally be the man to replace another French midfielder, N’Golo Kante. At least, that is what content creator Felix Johnston said back in 2021 amid initial links, describing Tchouameni as the “perfect Kante replacement”.
Ex-Chelsea star Kante was once dubbed the “best central midfielder in the world” by club legend Frank Lampard with the 2018 World Cup winner simply superb for the West Londoners. He made 269 appearances for the club, scoring 13 goals and grabbing 16 assists.
He won the biggest accolades at Stamford Bridge, including the Champions League in 2020/21 and the Premier League title in his first campaign with the club, 2016/17. That season, the former Leicester City star featured in 35 games as the Blues lifted their most recent league title.
Indeed, the similarities between Tchouameni and Kante are clear to see. Both are French defensive midfielders, who have competed with the national team and won major trophies at club level before a move, or potential move, to Stamford Bridge.
However, you can further compare the duo with their statistics, courtesy of Squawka. Taking into account Tchouameni’s stats from this season, and Kante’s from the 2016/17 title-winning campaign, you can see just how similar they are.
Per 90 minutes this season, the Real Madrid star averages a ground duel success rate of 59.42%, compared to 56.15% for the 2018 World Cup winner.
Kante’s on-the-ball ability is often better than people suggest, as his 17.1 forward passes per game in 2016/17 show. Tchouameni ranks even higher, with 22.5 forward passes this term.
Duels won
4.9
5.7
Ground duel success rate
59.42%
56.15%
Interceptions
1.7
2.4
Pass accuracy
92.97%
88.78%
Forward passes
17.1
22.5
Although a deal to sign Tchouameni would likely be an expensive one, but arguably worth it for Chelsea. Not only could they add to the firepower in midfield, but the Blues could finally replace Kante, which has been a long time coming.
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