Both Chelsea and Barcelona are challenging to trophies this season. However, currently, both of them are still in the phase of transition. Their squads are not yet perfect and they still need more recruitments. With the 2020/21 season close to coming to an end, both of them are already making transfer plans.
This is the time of the year when clubs start to make transfer plans so that when the summer arrives they know what to do. It looks like midfield is one such area where both of them want to strengthen. According to Calciomercato, Chelsea have entered the race to sign Juventus midfielder along with Barcelona.
Chelsea vs Barcelona for Bianconeri midfielder:
The same report from Calciomercato states that Adrien Rabiot is the Juventus player who has attracted interest from the Blues and the Catalans. This season he has made 41 appearances in all competitions scoring 3 goals and further providing 2 assists.
He has been a regular under new manager Andrea Pirlo this season. However, the Turin giants are still open to selling him next season. The Old Lady’s finances have been hurt due to the coronavirus pandemic, thus in order to get generate some revenue, they want to sell the Frenchman.
They are willing to sell him for around £17m. The Italians will make a handsome profit by selling him as he arrived on a free transfer from PSG in 2018. However, for the time being, it is unclear how much Chelsea and Barca are willing to offer for him.
Should Chelsea sign Rabiot ?
Thomas Tuchel has previously managed the former PSG midfielder. It is unlikely that he would want to again deal with the Frenchman. In 2018, Rabiot was dropped from starting 11 by Tuchel after he arrived late for a pre-match meeting. After that, he was suspended for a month for going out to a nightclub after PSG’s 1-3 defeat to Manchester United.
However, the German said that he had dropped Rabiot because of his poor performances. Considering how good Tuchel has been at Chelsea, they would not want to angry their new boss by signing Rabiot. Not only this he hasn’t been playing very in recent seasons as well. This is also a reason why Juventus are open to selling him this summer.
The Frenchman’s style of play and position is similar to Jorginho’s. A look at statistics tells us that the Blues don’t need him right now. Rabiot has 1.4 interceptions and 0.8 clearances per game, Jorginho has 1.7 interceptions and 0.9 clearances per game. Rabiot has 0.4 key passes and 1.3 bad touches per game, Jorginho has 0.7 key passes and 0.7 bad touches per game.
Potential solution for Chelsea
Currently, Thomas Tuhcel has plenty of options in the midfield. Mason Mount, Jorginho, Kovacic, Kante, Havertz, Ziyech etc. It is clear that Chelsea don’t really need Rabiot as he is not going to upgrade to their current squad. Instead, if he arrives he could block the way for young midfielders at the club.
Last season Billy Gilmour broke into Chelsea’s first team. Everyone was very much impressed by his composure, passing, and reading of the game. It is also pertinent to mention that he is only 19 years old and he will improve with time. He is a player who is similar to Rabiot and perhaps he can be even better than him if given time.
Not only this, there is another midfielder on loan from the Blues who has been impressing pundits. Conor Gallagher has already provided the same number of assists as Rabiot in eleven fewer appearances. Not only this he plays for a West Brom that hardly plays attacking football. These two young talents can save money and add more strength to the squad than the Frenchman.
12th Man Opinion
Perhaps if it would have been someone like Paulo Dybala, Chelsea fans might have gotten more excited. They would prefer if their club can sign Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus. From the Blues fan’s perspective, they would be happy if Barca are signing him.
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