Chelsea “confident” of signing £61m “game-changer”

It’s been an excellent summer for Chelsea so far this year.

On top of winning the Club World Cup, the Blues have made a number of exciting additions to the first team, including Joao Pedro, who was spectacular in pre-season.

However, the West Londoners looked less than impressive against Crystal Palace on Sunday, and the Brazilian centre-forward looks nothing like his usual dangerous self.

It was likely just a one-off, but fortunately, Chelsea are now closing in on another brilliant signing who’d be able to help Pedro get up and running even faster this season.

Chelsea target dream signing for Pedro

In addition to Pedro, Chelsea have completed several potentially game-changing signings this summer, with Liam Delap coming in to provide real competition for the starting number nine position, and Jamie Gitten joining to liven up the left-hand side.

The Conference League champions have even bolstered their defensive ranks with the seriously exciting Jorrel Hato, who at just 19 years old already has 111 appearances for Ajax and six senior caps for the Netherlands under his belt.

Yet, the West Londoners are not done there, as they now appear intent on picking up another incredibly exciting attacker, someone who could help Pedro get up and running as soon as possible.

At least that is according to a recent report from transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, who has claimed that Chelsea are still very interested in Xavi Simons.

The Italian journalist has revealed that while talks between the Blues and RB Leipzig are still ongoing and there are things that need to be done, the club are “confident” of landing the Flying Dutchman, who still only wants them.

Romano does not mention how much the 22-year-old might cost, but reports from earlier this summer claim that a fee of around £61m should do the trick, which seems fair for a player of Simons’ quality, especially as he could get Pedro up and firing.

Why Simons would be perfect for Pedro

Now, the first and undoubtedly most crucial reason Simons would be able to help Pedro get up and running sooner is his output.

For example, despite playing for a lacklustre Leipzig side that failed to qualify for Europe last season, the Dutch magician was able to score 11 goals and provide eight assists in just 33 appearances, totalling 2763 minutes.

In other words, the explosive “game-changer,” as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, maintained an average of a goal involvement every 1.73 games, or every 145.42 minutes.

Therefore, not only would the Amsterdam-born dynamo be able to provide the Brazilian forward with an abundance of goalscoring chances, but he’s also got the finishing ability to get on the end of the chances created by the former Brighton & Hove Albion star.

Moreover, it’s not like the former PSV Eindhoven gem was lucky, or on a hot streak last season, as his underlying numbers are just as impressive.

According to FBref, he ranked in the top 3% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Bundesliga last season for passes into the penalty area, through balls, and carries into the final third. He also ranked in the top 5% for ball recoveries and the top 6% for progressive passes, all per 90.

These numbers paint the picture of a creative maestro who is as capable of passing the ball into dangerous areas as he is carrying it, meaning opposition defenders will never be quite sure what he’s planning to do.

Finally, the last reason the former Paris Saint-Germain gem would be such a great teammate for Pedro is his position versatility.

For example, while he spent much of last season playing in attacking midfield and has even been dubbed “one of the best 10s in the world” by one data analyst, he’s just as comfortable playing on both wings and has even spent time up top.

In other words, Maresca would be able to play the 22-year-old wherever he needs him, in turn giving him more opportunities to play and form a proper understanding with the Brazilian sharpshooter.

Ultimately, Pedro looks like he’s going to be a success for Chelsea regardless, but if the club want to get even more out of him and help him get up and running faster, then Simons is the answer.