Why Real Madrid midfield controller is beyond Chelsea’s reach, despite rumours | OneFootball

Chelsea did a really impressive job of reconstructing their midfield this summer, but the wheeling and dealing of players coming and going did ultimately leave them a little short in midfield.

The problem was that the players bought or kept for the B team in that position – Cesare Casadei, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Carney Chukwuemeka etc., all are basically too attacking to play deep against a Premier League team. Only Romeo Lavia, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez are trusted by Enzo Maresca to play that role, and Lavia has spent more games injured than fit this season.

That has put a lot of pressure on Caicedo and Enzo, and they both need reinforcement. That could just mean recalling Andrey Santos, but could also mean serious investment in an elite player.

If you read the rumour mill today at places like CaughtOffside, the name of a Champions League winner is being mentioned. Aurelien Tchouameni has had some brilliant moments at Real Madrid, but they are apparently also willing to let him go.

Chelsea are linked as one of the teams in the mix (not for the first time), and we can understand the fantasy of having the elegant, athletic Frenchman going box to box at Stamford Bridge.

Elite players may not fit into Chelsea’s model

Aurelien Tchouameni playing for Real Madrid

However the realities of the situation are that a 24 year old who has been at Real Madrid is not the sort of player who suits our model now. His wage demands are likely to be huge given the teams interested, his peak age and where he’s coming from.

We’re much more likely to try and scoop up a younger talent, even someone who is relatively expensive up front, but with a lower long term cost in salary.

PSR and FFP concerns have subsided, but given we’ll be paying for the spending of the last couple of years for a long time, we don’t forsee any crazy moves.