Chelsea have been a revelation under Enzo Maresca this season, impressing as outsiders in the Premier League title race.
Liverpool might be a cut above the rest but the Blues have laid the framework for a prosperous era, but the Blues have been sensational when considering the club’s recent history.
Maresca has expertly managed his crowded squad since joining in the summer, but there’s a clear distinction between the tried-and-tested top-flight stars and the more peripheral members, who dwell almost exclusively in the Conference League.
Without question, there are still gains to be made, but given that the west Londoners have unearthed a winning strategy, there’s ample reason for optimism.
Blending high-class quality with exciting potential, Chelsea are on the rise, and Todd Boehly appears to have identified their latest teenage sensation.
Chelsea transfer news
Cobham Academy has long been accomplished as one of the finest in Europe, and that hasn’t changed despite the upheaval over the past four years.
Some thrilling prospects wait in the wings, but with Chelsea eyeing a deal for Ayyoub Bouaddi, the best may still be to come. As per transfer insider Graeme Bailey, Chelsea are among the high-profile European outfits looking at the LOSC Lille midfielder.
Bouaddi, 17, is believed to have blown scouts away with his composure and technical distinction, though Chelsea will need to up their game given Arsenal are ‘enamoured’ with the talent and could make their move as early as January.
Lille would be looking to collect a figure in the ballpark of €30m (£25m), and while this isn’t cheap for someone so young, Arsenal may well take a punt on that and Chelsea must ensure that they steal ahead.
Why Chelsea are interested in Ayyoub Bouaddi
Chelsea’s ruthless nature has left rivals incensed for many years, but then it’s also a product of their ambition and will to win. Bypassing Arsenal’s pursuit of Mkyhaylo Mudryk to sign the Ukrainian in a deal rising to £89m is evidence of this, even if it hasn’t gone to plan.
Bouaddi could be a different prospect altogether, however, having established himself through a Lille production line that has recently created Leny Yoro and Benjamin Pavard. Talent scout Jacek Kulig has praised his “impressive” start to life in Ligue 1 and rightly so.
Analyst Ben Mattinson has praised Bouaddi’s composure and even suggested that he is shaping into a midfielder worth more than “£80m”. He’s the kind of player who dances between statistical lines, skirting around metrics and numerical analysis while still producing exceptional results.
Matches (starts)
12 (5)
Goals
0
Assists
1
Touches*
28.6
Pass completion
90%
Big chances created
2
Ball recoveries*
2.5
Dribbles*
0.5
Tackles + interceptions*
2.4
Ground duels (won)*
2.8 (58%)
Even so, his fledgling steps onto the major stage have belied his youth and then some, for he has completed 90% of his passes in Ligue 1 this term while winning 58% of his ground duels. For a young deep-sitting midfielder lacking in the bulk department, this is a most interesting point toward his tenacity and combativeness.
As per FBref, Bouaddi actually ranks among the top 9% of midfielders across the span of Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion and the top 10% for tackles per 90. Why don’t we wipe that point about metrics – it’s clear that Bouaddi will rank favourably on many lists as he continues to make headway.
Chelsea won’t want to derail the progress of a player who has only made 36 senior appearances in his career, but then there’s little question that he is capable of achieving great things, and with Maresca at the wheel, he will be more than capable of shining on the margins of Chelsea’s squad over the coming years (he may also complete a season out on loan to further sharpen the whetted blades of his toolkit.
Who knows, he might grow into the cream of Chelsea’s teenage crop, even surpassing the soon-to-arrive Estevao Willian.
Bouaddi could be a bigger star than Estevao
Estevao’s agent Andre Crury has tipped his client to win the Ballon d’Or one day as Lionel Messi’s natural successor. He’s silky and elegant, a bag of tricks with an eye for goal and bundles of creativity besides.
The 17-year-old Brazil winger is still plying his craft in his homeland but agreed a deal to leave Palmeiras for Chelsea in the summer of 2025 for an initial £29m figure.
The head of Palmeiras’ academy, Joao Paulo Sampaio, made quite the bold claim: “Estevao is the best player to have emerged from Brazilian football since Neymar.”
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Indeed, he’s stirred up quite the storm over the past year or two, winning the 2023 Brasileiro Serie A championship and posting 25 goal contributions across 45 outings for the side thus far into his young career.
That may be true, but Bouaddi is quietly going about his business and shaping into one of the best deep maestros of his generation. In any case, if Chelsea beat the likes of Arsenal to his signing, it would only add another layer to their young ranks, stepping up a prosperous new era.
After all, Kulig, who specialises in assessing the finest prospects around, has hailed Bouaddi as a “10/10 talent” as he continues to show his style in one of Europe’s top five leagues.
There’s no telling how he’ll do on English shores, of course, but it’s certainly something that he is already impressing in the French top flight. His age-mate still resides in Brazil and might find jumping continents something of a big adjustment at the maiden stage of his career.
Keen-eyed analysts may well view Bouaddi as an £80m star in the making, but honestly, his stock could rise stratospherically higher if he continues at his current rate.
Chelsea must sell £40m flop who was dubbed one of Europe's "most exciting"
Chelsea must finally axe £40m flop who was previously dubbed as one of Europe’s “most exciting” players
ByConnor HoldenDec 29, 2024