It seems like Chelsea will try and sign a new winger in the summer transfer window. With Jadon Sancho potentially returning to Manchester United, if they decide not to buy him permanently, they could well need reinforcements in wide areas.
Enzo Maresca’s current crop of wide men are certainly not uninspiring. Aside from Sancho, those permanently at the club include the likes of Pedro Neto and Noni Madueke.
Those two wingers have six and 11 goals to their names across all competitions, respectively, this season. In recent weeks, Tyrique George has broken through, and Cole Palmer now plays a more central role.
However, they could well look to sign an additional player in wide areas, and are seemingly plotting an ambitious move this summer.
The latest on Chelsea’s pursuit of a winger
Chelsea have been linked with a number of options should they try and sign a new winger this summer. One of those players is another Red Devils star, Alejandro Garnacho. News broke on Thursday, courtesy of talkSPORT’s Alex Crook, that Chelsea are ‘interested’ in the 20-year-old.
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Alternatives are also seemingly being considered, as the Blues could well be set to target Real Madrid star Rodrygo, according to Caught Offside. The report suggests the West London outfit are ‘stepping up their pursuit’ of the Brazilian forward this summer.
According to the article, Chelsea are the side who ‘are currently leading the race’ to sign the Los Blancos superstar, but they are not the only team in the hunt.
Their Premier League rivals, Manchester City ‘are keeping a close eye on the situation’ and could also make a move. Whichever side win the race, Madrid could command a huge fee of £101m.
Why Rodrygo would be a good signing
Make no mistake about it, Chelsea would be signing a global superstar if they manage to bring Rodrygo to Stamford Bridge. Described as “terrifyingly good” by Sam Tighe, a football journalist and broadcaster, he has been fantastic for Madrid once again this term.
It has been a productive season again for the Brazilian this season. Across all competitions for the La Liga giants, he has found the back of the net 14 times and provided a further ten goals for his teammates in 51 games.
In fact, the 24-year-old’s underlying numbers from this season from Sofascore reinforce the fact that he has played well. For example, he has averaged 2.1 key passes and 2.1 successful dribbles in those 51 appearances this season.
|
Rodrygo’s key stats in 2024/25 season |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stat |
Total |
Per 90 |
|
Key passes |
78 |
2.1 |
|
Big chances created |
10 |
0.3 |
|
Dribbles completed |
77 |
2.1 |
|
Tackles and interceptions |
71 |
1.9 |
|
Expected goal involvements |
12.12xGI |
0.32xGI |
|
Stats from Sofascore |
||
If there is one competition that the winger thrives in, it is the Champions League. Rodrygo has a strong record in the competition, with 39 goals and assists in 64 games. Football talent scout Jacek Kulig rightly pointed out that he “loves the UCL”.
It is a competition that Chelsea are hoping to be in next term, and they will hope Rodrygo can turn up on the biggest stage again.
Should the West London side bring Rodrygo to the club, he could be the second coming of Diego Costa. Not in the sense of how he was as a player, of course, given the former Atletico Madrid star was a striker and Rodrygo is a winger.
Instead, the similarities between the two are the fact that they are both Brazil-born, high-profile La Liga stars, who were expensive, too. Sky Sports reported that the then-25-year-old striker cost Chelsea £32m, which in today’s money, according to The Transfer Index, would be £61.5m, a steep fee indeed.
Costa was sensational for the Blues. The Spain international, who has not yet retired but is currently without a club, scored 59 goals and registered 21 assists in 120 games.
Across three Premier League seasons, they won two titles, and Costa scored 20 league goals in both of those.
If Rodrygo can have anywhere near the impact at Chelsea that Costa managed, then it would be an excellent piece of business. Of course, the fee is expensive, but to acquire a player of his talent, you have to pay that kind of money.
Costa joined the Blues from La Liga and became a club legend, taking the West Londoners to astronomical heights. They will surely want Rodrygo to do the exact same thing if he moves to Stamford Bridge.
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