Chelsea are likely to make a move for Brazilian winger David Neres granted their two-window transfer ban is frozen by Court of Arbitration of Support(CAS) for the upcoming transfer window.
According to a report on DailyStar, Chelsea have started looking elsewhere after failing to land Eintracht Frankfurt striker Luka Jovic who is Real Madrid bound. One name that has come to light is young Ajax sensation David Neres, whose signature would cost around £40m for the London club.
The young Brazillian has caused an uproar with his performances in the past couple of years having close to 30 goal contributions each in the last two seasons at Ajax. His goals against Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu and Juventus in the quarter-finals have finally brought his potential in the limelight.
Neres to Stamford Bridge: An exciting move by Chelsea
Neres is a versatile forward who mainly features as a right-winger but can play on either wing and possesses the know-how to operate in a central attacking role as well. With Eden Hazard’s departure to Real Madrid a big possibility this summer, the Brazilian’s signing could be the start of a new look front three at Chelsea who earlier secured the services of Borussia Dortmund’s Christian Pulisic.
Maurizio Sarri generally deploys a 4-3-3 system with his wingers cutting in from the flanks and a prefers a centre-forward who can link up with his fellow attackers. Neres could fit in perfectly on the wing in the Italian’s system given his unselfish linkup play.
He generally hugs the touchline drawing defenders from their position and is adept at cutting inside and having more of a say in proceedings near the penalty area.
His wide skill set and unpredictability makes him a difficult player to mark for the opposition. If he is provided too much space he can play penetrative passes and get the ball into dangerous areas and if marked tightly, he can move past defenders using his skills, linkup play and acceleration with a degree of success.
His numbers over the years have improved drastically from his key passes to successful dribbles. His shots per game have taken a dip which means his decision-making has significantly improved over the years. All these statistics growing meatier suggest his growth as an individual which is important for any budding player in his early days.
Sarri can use a player like Neres who is coming from Ajax, where they mainly concentrate on possession-based football. Sarriball, itself, is one of the many forms of the possession style of play and in case of a move, Neres will find it a tad easier to integrate into the new surroundings on the pitch.
All in all, it could be a positive signing for Chelsea and the first step for the London club in their life post the inevitable departure of Hazard.