Enzo Maresca should keep Lesley Ugochukwu & loan Andrey Santos  | OneFootball

Chelsea have spent the past two years stockpiling young talents like they are going out of fashion.

The club paid over £1 billion in search of the next big thing which has left them with a bloated squad.

They have an abundance of defensive midfielders, with Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia at the top of the list of options.

There is space for a back-up holding midfielder, and new manager Enzo Maresca will likely have to choose between Lesley Ugochukwu and Andrey Santos.

Many might be tempted to tilt towards Santos, who has a seemingly higher ceiling for development, but Ugochukwu is the one to keep next season.

Height advantage

Chelsea have a height problem in midfield. Lavia, Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez are all below 5ft 10ins.

None of them is a particularly impressive jumper, leaving the Blues at a disadvantage regarding aerial duels in the centre. All three have recorded below-average aerial numbers in their Premier League career.

Ugochukwu sorts this problem for Maresca. The 20-year-old is 6ft 2ins and won 82% of his aerial duels in 12 Premier League appearances.

By contrast, Santos won only 59% in Ligue 1. Interestingly, Ugochukwu has also won a higher percentage of his ground duels.

Manchester City have an advantage with Rodri in the centre. He wins 71% of his aerial duels, giving the Citizens security in the air.

This aerial dominance is valuable. Chelsea must seize it by having a tall midfielder in the squad.

Ugochukwu & Santos need continuity

Both players need continuity at this stage of their careers – the Blues also need it after all the upheavals of these past two years.

Santos is better off continuing his loan spell at Strasbourg, where he was beginning to find his groove towards the end of last season, winning the April Ligue 1 Young Player of the Month award for his fine displays.

He joined Chelsea’s sister club in France during the January window and began to flourish under manager Patrick Vieira.

The Brazilian youth international still has plenty to learn from the legendary French midfielder turned head coach.

Chelsea and Ugochukwu also need continuity. The club is preparing for a season in which it could play up to 60 games across several competitions.

Ugochukwu will have game time to build on his 2023/24 showings while gaining valuable domestic and European experience. It makes sense for all parties to continue in this direction.

Chelsea might have a new John Mikel Obi on their hands

Many Chelsea fans will fondly remember the days of midfielder John Obi Mikel, whom managers at the club used to secure matches.

He was famously branded the human full-time whistle. The Nigerian international had a way of taking the sting out of matches, and if the Blues had the lead, they rarely relinquished it once he came on.

Mikel sat deep, broke up attacks and regurgitated possession in a way that frustrated the opposition, and Ugochukwu could fulfil that role.

Beyond their Nigerian heritage, Ugochukwu and Obi are stylistically similar, and Maresca can utilise the former to see out games.