Chelsea might signal Kante 2.0 in £100m ace who’s the “crown jewel of a new generation” – opinion
Chelsea went via a tough spell within the Premier League earlier than the break for the World Cup, failing to win a match for the reason that center of October and Graham Potter already finds himself underneath strain such is the character of the position.
The 47-year-old will probably be utilizing the break to evaluate precisely the place he must strengthen in the course of the January switch window, and there may be a participant who has stood out for him already in Qatar.
Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo was linked with a transfer to Chelsea over the summer time and regardless of the south coast aspect slapping a £100m price ticket on the 21-year-old, it’s a transfer Potter ought to be critically wanting into.
Caicedo impressed in Ecuador’s opening World Cup match in opposition to Qatar the place he had 54 touches of the ball.
All through that encounter, he was extremely composed in possession of the ball with a 92% cross success fee, whereas he was excellent defensively, successful 67% of his duels, and making two interceptions as they secured a cushty 2-0 victory on the opening evening.
The Ecuadorian has been in contrast beforehand to French midfielder, N’Golo Kante, and thus he may very well be Chelsea’s new model of the combative World Cup winner.
Certainly, their enjoying kinds are extraordinarily comparable, with South American soccer professional Tim Vickery lavishing reward on him final yr whereas chatting with talkSPORT: “He’s a terrific athlete who makes soccer look straightforward. A box-to-box midfielder.
“A yr in the past he was saying that Kante of Chelsea is his position mannequin however he’s already greater than that. He already provides extra within the remaining third.
“That kind of box-to-box midfielder that’s very much in the tradition of the England game. Strong, quick, intelligent, and cool. He really does look like the genuine article.”
in simply eight appearances underneath Potter for Brighton final season, he achieved a WhoScored ranking of 7.07, rating him first within the squad. He received two tackles and made 1.3 interceptions per sport, whereas additionally contributing going ahead, taking 1.3 pictures, and finishing 0.9 dribbles per sport, definitely justifying the comparisons to the Frenchman.
Ecuadorian soccer historian Enrico Castro-Montes additionally lauded Caicedo whereas chatting with Het Niuewsblad (through Sport Witness), saying: “In his personal nation, he’s actually seen because the crown jewel of a brand new era.
“Caicedo really has everything to become the best Ecuadorian footballer of all time. I think that off the ball, he is indeed somewhat reminiscent of Kante, but on the ball, he resembles Paul Pogba with his flair and his technique.”
With Kante out of contract subsequent yr, Potter may be aiming to safe a transfer for Caicedo sooner relatively than later, particularly if he continues to impress for his nation on the World Cup.