Chelsea have endured a couple of testing campaigns in the Premier League, and while there is a lot of external noise around the bloated nature of Enzo Maresca’s squad, there’s reason to be optimistic in west London.
A host of the Blues’ first-teamers are expected to depart before the window slams shut next week, with Raheem Sterling’s chances of remaining at Stamford Bridge slimmed down after recent events…
As such, Chelsea are seemingly in the clear to complete the signing of Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid – with an agreement having now been reached – and he’s not the only possible incoming to get excited about…
Busy finish to the transfer window
According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are still locked in negotiations with Napoli for the transfer of Romelu Lukaku – with highly-rated Victor Osimhen looking to move to England in a separate deal.
The Serie A club are reluctant to let Osimhen depart for a fee below his £111m release clause, but all parties are eager for a resolution and there’s tentative hope that the Blues can land an exciting new centre-forward to spearhead Maresca’s team.
Imagine Victor Osimhen & Joao Felix
Osimhen, who earns £211k per week in Naples, has been hailed as “one of the best strikers in the world” by Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo, scoring 76 goals and adding 18 assists across 133 matches for Napoli.
He’s one of Europe’s finest goalscorers but he is also blessed with natural creativity and sharp movements when on the press, drawing defenders away and creating space for his peers.
Indeed, during Napoli’s 2022/23 Scudetto-winning campaign, Osimhen scored 26 goals and added four assists from 30 starting appearances, averaging 1.1 key passes per game.
This kind of profile could see an electric bond forged with Felix, who has never been regarded as the most prolific player around but actually maintained an impressive strike rate on loan at Barcelona last year, ranking among the top 5% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for non-penalty goals scored per 90, as per FBref.
Felix, moreover, is one of the smoothest operators in the business, with a butter-soft dribbling ability that allows him to breeze past opponents. He’s been dubbed “the football artist” by talent scout Jacek Kulig in the past, and he could paint quite the picture with Chelsea, under Maresca’s wing.
Victor Osimhen: Last 5 Seasons |
||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Season |
Club |
Apps (starts) |
Goals |
Assists |
2023/24 |
Napoli |
32 (27) |
17 |
4 |
2022/23 |
Napoli |
39 (35) |
31 |
5 |
2021/22 |
Napoli |
32 (26) |
18 |
6 |
2020/21 |
Napoli |
30 (19) |
10 |
3 |
2019/20 |
LOSC Lille |
38 (28) |
18 |
6 |
Stats via Transfermarkt |
Described as a “monster” by analyst Raj Chohan, Osimhen is a world-class striker, and he could be a real menace with Felix – and that’s without mentioning the likes of Cole Palmer, Christopher Nkunku and co.
Chelsea need to get it done. Sure, the squad still needs trimming, but with the right outgoings, Felix and Osimhen could arrive and wreak utter havoc in the Premier League.
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