It’s a big season for the Blues. Chelsea failed to qualify for the Champions League once again in the Premier League but have at least reclaimed a position on the continent, with the sixth-place finish under Mauricio Pochettino last year securing Conference League football....CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING.>>
Pochettino departed in May, and Enzo Maresca’s long-term project is now underway, with the Stamford Bridge side preparing for a possession-centric future under the wing of one of Pep Guardiola’s disciples.
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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca
Tosin Adarabioyo has been welcomed on a free transfer to shore up the defence, while Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has followed Maresca from Leicester City in a £30m deal to add some mettle to Chelsea’s midfield.
Now, focus is on the frontline, and rightly so. Chelsea need firepower, with a recent report suggesting that a dynamic new option could be welcomed to west London.
Chelsea transfer news
As per Gazzetta dello Sport, Chelsea are hoping to take advantage of Juventus’ need to sell Federico Chiesa this summer, with the Italy international entering the final year of his contract in Turin.
The Italian outlet report that Chiesa’s agent has recently been in London to discuss a possible deal with Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur and that Juventus would be willing to do business with teams from abroad for a figure of about €30m (£25m).
What Federico Chiesa would bring to Chelsea
In 2022, Chiesa suffered a knee injury that wrecked his 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns, starting just 17 matches across the two after rising to prominence at Euro 2020 as his nation won the trophy.
Last season, the versatile attacker enjoyed his most productive and injury-free term in several years, repackaged as a central attacking outlet after typically being found on the right flank.
His ten-goal haul across all competitions was indeed his most productive since 2019/20, but it’s the rounded nature of his overall skillset that has arrested Chelsea’s attention and proved that he would be a tailor-made fit for a team at the top of the Premier League.
Chiesa would not solve Chelsea’s goalscoring problems in the same manner as, say, Victor Osimhen, who is being pursued by the Blues and is one of Europe’s deadliest marksmen, but he does have dynamic properties that would knit Maresca’s frontline together.
Federico Chiesa: Serie A Stats 23/24
Statistics
Per 90
Percentile (vs forwards)
Shot-creating actions
4.79
Top 2%
Passes attempted
29.17
Top 19%
Progressive passes
2.87
Top 16%
Progressive carries
4.55
Top 2%
Successful take-ons
1.43
Top 12%
Stats via FBref
As you can see, Chiesa was one of Italian football’s most creative and technically impressive forwards last season, ranking highly in principal playmaking metrics and varying his attacking intent between his ball-playing and his ball-carrying, making good on past praise from football media personality Roger Bennett that he is a “wizard”.
You can only imagine the kind of partnership that could be forged with Cole Palmer in Chelsea’s attack, with the esteemed England international revelling in an almighty maiden campaign with Chelsea last season, signed from Manchester City for an initial fee of £40m.
Palmer posted 25 goals and 15 assists across all competitions for Chelsea in a season that swiftly established the 22-year-old as one of the Premier League’s elite attacking talents.
He varied his playing time between attacking midfield and right wing with equally devastating effect, but Palmer could become virtually unplayable if allowed to fuse a bond with the Italian transfer target, who could operate with Palmer in flux between the central and wide attacking roles.
Cole Palmer: 23/24 Stats by Position
Position
Apps
Goals
Assists
Attacking midfield
19
13
5
Right winger
18
12
7
Centre-forward
7
1
3
Palmer’s positional strengths align with Chiesa’s but it would take a brave dissenter to launch an argument in favour of Chiesa’s shooting boots over that of the Manchester-born maverick.
Palmer, albeit profiting from a score of penalties, ranked among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues last season for goals scored and the top 8% for assists and shot-creating actions per 90.
With Maresca currently inculcating a new system for the Chelsea first team to adopt, one that will feature ball-first football at the front and centre of everything that is set out to be achieved, Chiesa is the perfect type of player to implement the methods and perform alongside star men such as Palmer in a manner that befits his skillset.
The Old Lady talent would not even need to be deployed centrally, such is the dynamic nature of the prospective partnership. Luciano Spaletti opted to play Chiesa at right wing throughout Italy’s disappointing Euro 2024 campaign, scraping through a tough group stage before being comprehensively outplayed and beaten by Switzerland in the round of 16.
The 26-year-old Chiesa was one of the shining lights, performing with gusto, creative in possession and combative out of it. As per Sofascore, he completed two dribbles on average per game while averaging 1.5 tackles and winning 3.8 duels per match. A fine illustration of a complete array of abilities.
Slick footwork and a progressive approach that would succeed in stretching defences and creating space for Palmer to wreak havoc is exactly the kind of newfound attacking intent that Chelsea need to rise once again and penetrate through a tough set of divisional rivals to quality for the Champions League, and indeed restore the trophy-winning feeling at Stamford Bridge.
Let’s also not forget that Massimiliano Allegri’s decision to reshape the £150k-per-week star into a thrusting central role last year has paid dividends for his own goalscoring, clinching nine goals in Serie A last year across 25 starting displays, missing as many big chances.
This is just another string to his bow and another reason for Chelsea to push ahead and bypass opposition – such as Spurs – in the race to sign an elite talent that has seen his recent years of football marred by injuries.
Palmer was immense last year and he has every chance of completing another extraordinary campaign at Chelsea under Maresca’s wing, but more is needed to lift the club back to the sunlight, and Chiesa might just prove to be a masterful addition.
