Luis Muriel was one of the hottest prospects in world football a few years back but has not really made it big in world football. Injuries, coupled up with many other problems, have worked in sync as the Colombian is still very much a rising star in Serie A. However, we have seen many strikers reaching the peak of their careers a bit late than usual. Still only 25 years of age, time is the Colombian’s friend and he still might shine bright in club football as was expected of him.
The Daily Star is reporting that Antonio Conte is monitoring the progress of Muriel closely at Sampdoria and if he is convinced, he could launch a bid for the Colombian international next summer. The 25-year-old is doing a pretty impressive job at Sampdoria this season having scored eight goals from 15 appearances in all competitions, also setting up five for his teammates.
Muriel is said to have a £24m buyout clause in his contract and, therefore, Chelsea might not find it hard to land him at Stamford Bridge. On top of that, the Colombian has been in Italy for a long time now and Conte is admired fondly there for what he has done in Serie A during his time at Juventus. Any Italian League based player will be keen to work with the now-Chelsea boss.
Conte is a manager who knows Italian football inside out and has closely seen Muriel during the ups and downs of his career. You might say that the man who won the Serie A Best Young Revelation along with Stephan El Shaarawy in 2012 is still a pretty unknown player outside Italy but you gotta admit that potential is a very heavy word to utter in modern football. Even before a player makes a name for himself at the big stage, people start making needless comparisons which so easily unsettles modern day players. That has been the case for Muriel.
Muriel has been compared to Brazilian legend Ronaldo time and time again in his career due to his similarities in style to Brazil’s World Cup hero. The comparison alone speaks volumes about the dormant amount of potential the Colombian comes with.
He is a number nine with excellent pace and flair and can dribble past any defence on his day. A pretty mobile striker, the Colombian often moves to the flanks to create openings for the team. The 25-year-old has tried not to be selfish of late and has one key pass every game.
Chelsea have been in firing form this season and a key reason behind that is the form Diego Costa is in. However, Chelsea are likely to have European commitments next season if they can keep up such form and they will need more resources then. Conte has worked his magic at Stamford Bridge in such a short amount of time and Chelsea should trust him with the transfers. We cannot see any reason why Muriel won’t be a hit at the West London club.
