Although Chelsea have their pockets full after selling their midfield duo Oscar and John Obi Mikel for astronomical fees, they are finding it increasingly difficult to bring in players to plug in the gaps left by their departures.
Antonio Conte currently has N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic at the middle of the park, who are more or less getting the job done for them as the Blues don’t rely much on their midfield to build on the counter. It is more from the flanks that they generate the chances and the additional side backs increase the sharpness.
But, their backup options in the midfield lack serious depth with Cesc Fabregas as the only feasible option to fall back on when their Plan A fails, and one of their main transfer targets, AC Milan midfielder Giacomo Bonaventura, made their situation further complicated by signing a new contract worth £1.7million a year with the Italian giants until 2020 after agreeing on a deal worth £1.7million a year.
Conte has been a huge admirer of the midfielder since his Juventus days and this must be a tremendous blow for Chelsea. However, here are 3 alternatives Conte opt for now-
Hakan Calhanoglu- A star in the Bundesliga team, Bayer Leverkusen, Calhanoglu’s current price tag is in the region of £17m, which Chelsea could easily afford. Calhanoglu is a real threat from the centre of the field with a great vision for incisive passes and is impeccable from set-pieces. Having a figure like him alongside the technically-rich Fabregas could make Chelsea close to unstoppable.
He has appeared 17 times for Bayer Leverkusen so far, scoring 5 times and assisting 6 times. An attack-minded player, Calhanoglu could be deployed in the wings too and could play real link-up play alongside Hazard, Willian and Pedro. Although the Turkish international has expressed his intention to stay in Germany and continue improving, a luring offer would be hard to resist.
Arda Turan- Now, his availability on the transfer market was a secret until it came to be known that Barcelona are reportedly willing to let the play go if the Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande pays their asking price of £26million.
Chelsea have brought players like Eden Hazard and Diego Costa for hefty prices before and they could easily meet Barcelona’s demand. The 29-year-old has scored 12 times this season and assisted seven. The hard-working Turk could be an ideal signing for Chelsea.
Radja Nainggolan- Another such player Conte greatly admires. Nainngolan has been Chelsea’s target for a long time now but Chelsea haven’t made any official approach yet. The 28-year-old Belgian is a beast in the midfield and could provide a distinct vibrancy to the Blues’ game. Although he had refused a move before, the right offer would surely do the trick for both the player and his club, AS Roma.
He has scored four goals this season so far, creating 23 chances and one assist. He has completed 507 passes this season with a pass accuracy of 79%, of which 77% have been forward passes.
