According to a report by Mirror, Chelsea are all set to land Zenit Saint Petersburg midfielder Leandro Paredes this month.
The Blues have registered a bid of £27m to make Paredes sign on the dotted line and the player has reportedly agreed personal terms with the club.
Here is a SWOT analysis of Chelsea’s transfer target who has drawn comparisons with former Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas.
Strengths
Though Paredes prefers to ply his trade as the deepest lying playmaker in a three-man midfield or as part of a double pivot, the presence of the technically brilliant Jorginho and Kante means he can easily adjust to Sarri’s 3-man midfield. His passing range and vision are the most potent weapons in his armoury and he works relentlessly on the pitch to dictate the tempo of the game.
Although he is comfortable staying back while his team is in possession, he certainly plays a key part in the transition. His ability to link up the defence with the attack is also something which echoes Fabregas’ style of play.
The 24-year-old creates space around him with ease and his strong physicality enables him to shield the ball and hold on to possession. He is a tough tackler and tends to break the opposition’s attacking endeavours with his tenacity and aggression in one-vs-one situations.
Besides, he is a set-piece specialist and isn’t afraid to have an occasional pop at goal. In 15 Russian Premier League appearances so far this campaign, he has scored 3 goals and registered 2 assists along with mustering a pass completion rate of 87.5%.
Weaknesses
Paredes isn’t as prolific in attack and he needs to upgrade his gameplay while going forward if he has to shine in the Premier League. His discipline is also an area where the player should be striving to improve. He is not afraid to dive into tackles but is susceptible to overdoing it more often than not.
The former AS Roma midfielder isn’t dominating in the air, invites a lot of risks and also lacks pace, something which Maurizio Sarri needs to be wary of. Despite notching up 15 goals and 10 assists in 61 appearances for Zenith, he is unlikely to reach the level of productivity of Fabregas.
Opportunities
Fabregas has left the club while Kovacic is on-loan from Real Madrid which means his future is also uncertain. And early on in the season, despite the availability of all his options, Sarri had to keep playing Jorginho and Kante in almost every game. The intensity of the fixtures will surely lead to a burn-out before the season ends.
Paredes should come as a welcome addition. He can line up as a part of the midfield 3 and can also play in place of Jorginho when the need arises.
Threats
Jorginho has established himself in the starting line-up of the London based outfit and it would take a lot of work from Paredes to dethrone the Italian. Hence, if he is looking for regular gametime, it might not be fulfilled at Chelsea.
To add to that, the stark difference in the quality of both the leagues means the move will always feel like a gamble and hence it will be on the Chelsea bosses to determine whether to take this plunge.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored