Transfer News:
Chelsea should try to avoid their mistakes from the previous summer when they failed to land the manager’s first choice transfer targets and ended up signing players who weren’t suitable to Antonio Conte’s style of play. However, now, the Daily Star is claiming that Chelsea are interested in luring Malcolm from Bordeaux this summer. The right-winger has attracted interest from all quarters due to his immense talent and performances this season.
The report further states that contrary to rumours, Malcom has not signed an agreement with Serie A club Inter. Chelsea seem to be looking for a long-term replacement for Willian and Pedro. While the Brazilian had a fruitful season and has caught the eye of many, the Spaniard’s influence has waned in recent times and he had a glaringly poor season last time around, as the attacker was unable to influence games either when starting or appearing from the bench.
Chelsea find themselves with a deficiency of players who can play on the right-wing and hence Malcolm is being monitored to take up that role next season onwards.
Malcom: Player Profile
The Brazilian has certainly shown glimpses of his footballing roots. His brilliant pace coupled with a knack of dribbling past his opponents makes him a livewire on the right wing. His ability to trick his marker, cut in at the appropriate time and send those inverted crosses into the box are rare and quite appreciable for a lad of his age. The Brazilian has a flair in his game, something that enables him to break the defensive lines by threading accurate through-passes and also by taking a shot from the correct position even from outside the box.
He displays maturity beyond his age, as Malcolm knows when to make the pass into the box, or when to square up the ball for a teammate rather than taking shots himself. He has developed his efficiency in the past couple of years, having scored 12 goals and registered seven assists in 35 matches last season. In the Ligue 1, he delivered 2.5 key passes per game and also dribbled past his adversaries almost 2.7 times on an average.
Should Chelsea make a move?
The Blues most definitely need quality players and Malcolm will surely be a step in the right direction. Moving to a big club will help him fulfil the bigger ambitions that he has, both from an individual and from a collective perspective.
However, Chelsea’s poor record at handling young starlets might go against Malcolm as the player wouldn’t want to risk his development at such a club. It will be interesting to see whether the lad takes the plunge, as another season at Bordeaux might just go against him, as well. It’s time for him to take the bigger jump, but, should he be landing at Stamford Bridge?
Stats Courtesy: Whoscored
