With the January transfer window drawing near, we are once again supplied with some of the hottest transfer gossips around Europe and there are already reports that PSG’s attacking midfielder Javier Pastore could be a player out of the Parc de Princes. A source close to the player has confirmed that the 27-year old is being courted by clubs in both Italy and China but there is reports from England tells us that Chelsea is monitoring the situation closely.
Pastore came to the limelight after his breakthrough season with Argentine club Huracan in the 2008/09 season. Ending the season as his club’s top scorer, the midfielder was scouted by some big teams of Europe at that time which included the names of Manchester United, AC Milan, Porto and also Chelsea. However, the player signed for Palermo and there he enjoyed his football developing into one of the most sought after players in a spell of two years from 2009-11.
For Palermo, the Argentine played 69 times in the Serie A, scoring 14 times and providing 10 assists. It was during that time that Antonio Conte, the current manager of Chelsea started admiring the player as he wishes to bring him to the Stamford Bridge this winter.
Since joining French club PSG in the summer of 2011 for a massive fee of €39.8m, Pastore has featured heavily for the club but never could get an extended run in the starting line-up due to his niggling injuries, something which current PSG boss Unai Emery is very concerned about.
So far from the last season till now, the midfielder has made only 30 appearances in all competitions, a clear indication that he has fallen out of favour. The interesting statistic, however, is that in those 30 appearances, Pastore has managed to score 4 goals and provide 8 assists, which reflects his ability.
Chelsea this season has turned things around in spectacular fashion after losing two games in succession in the league. Antonio Conte has masterminded a wonderful formational shift to incorporate the best qualities of the players which are now being reflected in the results on the pitch.
Most of Chelsea’s play depends on the creativity provided by the wonderful Eden Hazard in the attacking third and Pastore is a player quite similar to the Belgian in terms of his creativity. The Argentine has exceptional dribbling abilities, can pass the ball well, provide creativity upfront while also being able to hold possession in the advanced areas, traits which will fit right into the structure at work under Conte currently.
There always lies the question marks over the fitness of Pastore and he is certainly not the type of player one would expect to be available each week but if managed properly, the midfielder is one of those rare breeds who will give you the maximum output in terms of the minutes spent on the field.
It remains to be seen if the player decides to move in the winter but securing the services of the midfielder would be a very good move by Chelsea as Antonio Conte is a kind of coach under whom the player would fit in perfectly.
