Liverpool are eyeing a move for CSKA Moscow centre-forward Fyodor Chalov, it has been reported.
The 21-year-old, who has a contract with the club until 2022, has attracted a plethora of Premier League clubs with all the top 6 sides, except Chelsea for obvious reasons, interested in signing him, as per the Daily Mirror.
The youngster is valued at £20 million, and has also caught the eye of Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Sevilla and Monaco, the report adds.
The right-footed striker plundered 17 goals and made 7 assists in 37 appearances across all competitions last season, including the famous strike at Santiago Bernabeu in a 3-0 victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Is Fyodor Chalov the kind of player Liverpool need?
Chalov is a versatile player and can play as an attacking midfielder if needed. The Russian rising-star is a prolific goal-scorer, and can set up his teammates as well, thanks to his vision and awareness in the final third. He managed 3.3 shots and 1.8 key passes per game across all competitions last season.
However, other than his contribution in the final third, Chalov doesn’t contribute much to his side.
Chalov’s lack of quality in certain key areas on the pitch — from his passing range to aerial ability — is a cause of concern. Considering he is only 21 years of age, it’s likely that Chalov will improve with time.
The 21-year-old averaged a pass success rate of 74.6% last season, so that’s another area where he will need to improve if he is to play the Roberto Firmino role.
The CSKA Moscow attacker stands in at 5ft 9in, and managed 0.9 aerial duels won per game.
His defensive contributions aren’t something to boast about either with the youngster managing 0.4 tackles, 0.2 interceptions and 0.4 clearances per 90 minutes last term, stats which are pretty far behind Firmino’s.
After Daniel Sturridge was released, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has only Firmino and Divock Origi up his sleeve, but the two are very different players.
The former often go in deep in the midfield acting as a false 9 and contributes heavily in the build-up while the Belgian international is more of a player who likes to drive at defences or can be used as a target man.
Liverpool desperately need a backup for the Brazilian in order to keep him fresh and injury-free next season.
Chalov is too similar to Origi, and even though he managed good numbers last season, the Reds should perhaps look at signing a player who is of the Firmino mould.
Stat Courtesy: Transfermarkt, Whoscored
