Chelsea are on a spending spree this season, already finalising a few lucrative deals. However, their intention to bolster the squad is far from over with a section of media linking them with Ben Chilwell. As of now, the London side are not the only club looking at the Leicester man as the left-back has found other suitors.
The Telegraph is reporting that Manchester City are also in contention to sign Chilwell as Pep Guardiola looks to add more options to the left-back slot. On the other hand, Leicester would be looking to get £85 million for the defender.
Is there a need for a left-back?
All the rumours around Manchester City moving in for a wing-back has been restricted to the right-back slot as the Citizens are tipped to get involved in a swap deal with Barcelona with Cancelo moving to Spain while Semedo goes in the other direction. Till now there were no rumours regarding City’s need of a left-back, but the Spanish manager must have been concerned with the way Mendy has performed.
The French player joined the blue side of Manchester in 2017 in a big-money move but has failed to cement his place in the team for the past three seasons. Although his performances have been decent throughout this time, injuries have been a big concern for him. A ligament rapture during his initial days and a cartilage problem thereafter have meant that Mendy has been unable to justify his price tag.
This season while Mendy has featured in 14 league matches, the manager has played Oleksandr Zinchenko (a midfielder) 12 times, clearly suggesting that neither of them has impressed the former Barcelona manager. This is where the need for a new left-back arises as the gaffer would want to have four consistent players in his backline who would be able to take the field week in week out.
Is Ben Chilwell the right man?
The 23-year-old is the kind of wing-back the modern-day managers want, and Guardiola has been a great advocate of this. His ability to sprint forward and help the side in the attack is well known as he has scored two goals and assisted thrice this season. This can also be evident from the fact that the Englishman has made 1.2 key passes this term, although his ball distribution can improve.
Manchester City are not known for playing too many long balls as Pep has tried to implement a system with patient build-up. However, Chilwell is capable of hitting 1.9 long balls per 90 minutes, which could provide a new dimension to the Manchester City gameplay.
Defensively the England international is a prudent man who has made two clearances and 1.6 tackles each game this term. With a better set of midfielders, who would act as a shield in front of him, these numbers can further improve.
Overall, Ben Chilwell is a hot property in English football right now, and clubs like Manchester City and Chelsea clashing head to head for his services would excite the supporters as well as the Leicester board, who could reap the benefits of selling the star man for maximum cash possible.
Stats from Whoscored.
