Across the country, football fans wait with bated breath on a day like today, for its deadline day. Anything can happen. Fear and excitement levels can be raised in equal measure. For Chelsea, supporters are anticipating something newsworthy to emerge.
Believe it or not, Enzo Maresca hasn’t actually welcomed a new star to the fold this month, with technical director Paul Winstanley and his team instead prioritising outgoings, trimming the fat.
Fee
Fee
None
Alex Matos (Oxford)
Loan
Jimmy-Jay Morgan (Gillingham)
Loan
Renato Veiga (Juventus)
Loan
Much hinges on departures. Joao Felix’s immediate future, for example, will determine whether one of the Premier League’s brightest young talents will be moving to Stamford Bridge before the day is up.
The Portugal ace is on the fringes and has been linked with a move to Aston Villa. However, Unai Emery’s team have welcomed Marcus Rashford and are set to Marco Asensio, but a deal is by no means dead in the water – with AC Milan also in the picture.
Chelsea targeting dream Felix replacement
Chelsea have been linked with a move for Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho this month, but the Argentinian talent remains at the Theatre with the clock ticking away.
Ruben Amorim is in the process of scraping out the rot at Old Trafford but may also be forced to part with big-money names like Garnacho to comply with PSR and fund a rebuild.
While we’re waiting to see any major developments today, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed – speaking to GIVEMESPORT – that Chelsea could still make a last-minute move for the 20-year-old, who is valued at roughly £60m.
While the Blues haven’t tabled an official proposal, the interest is concrete. Perhaps Todd Boehly is simply waiting for a player like Felix to depart before launching a statement bid.
What Alejandro Garnacho would bring to Chelsea
Chelsea need more from the flanks. Maresca has guided his team to an impressive 45-goal return from 23 Premier League matches this season, but only Noni Madueke (with seven) has notched more than two strikes.
Such a statement naturally excludes the imperious Cole Palmer, more of a ten anyway, but it shines a garish light on the need for impetus on the wings.
Is Garnacho that man? To be fair, the young buck has only posted 13 goals and seven assists across 80 Prem appearances, but the sky is the limit and he could enhance Chelsea’s overall play too, ranking among the top 2% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for shots taken (3.83) and the top 6% (5.84) for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref.
It’s been a bad season for the prospect, but merely hark back to last term and you’ll see that he plundered ten goals for United, and is capable of even more. Statman Dave has even hailed him for his “absolutely electric” quality, commenting that he’s “brilliant on the left wing.”
A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent’s goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.
Chelsea have an abundance of attacking options, but Garnacho fits the mould given that he’s an out-and-out wideman, perfect to slot in on that lefthand side.
With this in mind, he could be the perfect upgrade on a player like Felix, the aforementioned forward having languished somewhat since re-joining Chelsea in the summer, this time on a permanent £46m deal.
Transfer Focus
He’s impressed in the lower-quality Conference League, but Felix is clearly unfavoured in the top flight, with Maresca only giving him three starting berths. The silky star scored off the bench on his (second) Premier League debut against Wolves but has only placed one assist since.
Clubs across Europe are interested in taking Felix on loan, so perhaps Chelsea will need to engineer an initial loan signing for Garnacho.
Regardless, the pace and dynamism of the up-and-coming star – five years Felix’s youth, by the way – would enhance a side that needs a bit more in that area.
Felix has great technique and neat, shifty movements, but he’s more of a hybrid, somewhere between Palmer and Garnacho himself. It would be a deal that could unlock the South American’s giddy potential and take Chelsea closer to the uppermost level of English and European football. Once again.
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