According to The Sun, Chelsea will have to pay £30 million for the services of Bayern Munich centre-back Mats Hummels.
The German international hasn’t had the best of seasons under Niko Kovac this season, forcing him to ponder a move away from the club.
But, do the Blues really need to flush out £30m for the services of this Bundesliga defender?
The ideal fit under Maurizio Sarri
Even before his transfer to Bayern Munich in 2016, Hummels was regarded as one of Europe’s best defenders, thanks to his proficiency in not just defending but also his passing.
Indeed, Hummels can easily be labelled as a pass-master, having acquired a pass accuracy of 85% in each of the last four seasons in the Bundesliga.
Much like Liverpool star Virgil Van Dijk, Hummels can easily pick an attacker in the final third using his laser passes while his exceptional long-passing quality allows him to switch the play. The defender has constantly averaged over four accurate long-passes during his career.
This could be a boon for Sarri, whose style of play is dependent on the passing prowess of his players and Hummels, in that regard, could be an ideal fit, as he can not only play a key role in the build-up play with some crisp short passes, but would also provide more reliability than David Luiz.
How good a defender is Hummels?
Defensively, Hummels often tends to move up the pitch and make an interception, which suites well to Chelsea’s high pressing game.
The former Dortmund stat is also known for his well-timed front-footed tackles, and most of all, an impressive heading ability, which enables him to have the aerial superiority.
On the flip side, however, Hummels often struggles against quick attackers, especially in recent years as players have now found it much easier to get past the German international.
Hummels is also having his worst season yet, having averaged just over one interception per game, which is well below his career average.
And at the age of 30, Hummels is surely not a long-term solution for Chelsea. However, the German would certainly add more quality to the Chelsea backline that has shown signs of weaknesses this season.
The World Cup winner also bags a vast amount of experience, having almost made 300 appearances in the German top flight and therefore, he could be Chelsea’s answer to Liverpool’s Van Dijk or Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld as the Blues hope to push the teams above them in the second half of the campaign.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored
