Benjamin Henrichs of Bayer Leverkusen has been linked with a move to Chelsea. The 21-year-old Germany international has a release clause of £31 million and Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has reportedly told the board members at Stamford Bridge that he wants the defender at the club.
The defensive ace, who is naturally a right back, can also play as a centre-back when required to. He has played three times for his national team but right now is not in the contention for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He has made 27 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen this season as well and is an important member of the team.
Henrichs is a naturally attacking defender with good pace and acceleration. His technical abilities are strong and he is a well-drilled full back. However, the player needs to add a little more composure to his game to make himself a success at the top level.
It is being stated that Antonio Conte wants him at Chelsea. The first question that arises out of this situation is whether Conte himself will stay at the club beyond this season. The manager came two years back at the club and won the league in his very first season. However, this time around he has been unable to do well and there are talks of Conte leaving the club.
The major reason for the fallout is the fact that the Italian has not been able to get players of his own choice. He has been denied time and time again and this has created a rift between the club and the manager, which might make Conte leave the club.
Therefore the topic of Conte asking for a player seems highly unlikely. The second factor in question here is whether Chelsea needs Henrichs. They already have two players in the form of Victor Moses and Davide Zappacosta. Moses was moulded into a wing back by Conte and the player performed well last year.
This year, however, he has been below par and the Nigerian has frustrated fans on the pitch with his one-dimensional play. Next in line is Zappacosta. The Italian is an attacking minded defender who needs to be better drilled at tracking back and making tackles.
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This would mean that getting a new player in the form of Henrichs might not be the worst idea for Chelsea as they will be able to leverage a good player out of him in the future.
