Chelsea are wasting no time basking in the accolades of their title-winning season it seems, as the London side has already opened talks with CSKA Moscow midfielder Aleksandr Golovin, as per reports. After a pretty smooth season where the manager didn’t have to wrack his brains much in team selection and injury concerns, the Italian will be trying to stay as much ahead as possible before the next season that promises to be a hectic one.
Midfield has been one of the major strengths for the Blues this term with N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic keeping the balance just perfect in the middle of an attack-minded set-up. And Conte will know exactly how fatigue could affect their productivity when midweek fixtures will be a recurrence. Especially for players like Kante, Matic and Nathaniel Chalobah, who depends heavily on their work rate to make their impact felt over opponents.
Unlike other top leagues in Europe, Premier League consist of teams against whom a slight lapse of concentration and a little dip in form could result in negative outcomes. And the last thing Chelsea would want to repeat is Leicester City’s anti-climactic performance this season after a title-winning display last season.
Given the attributes of the 20-year-old Russian international, he could be a suitable addition to the arsenal of Chelsea. A regular in the side of the Russian giants, Golovin has appeared 30 times in the league this term, scoring three times and assisting four goals. He was also a regular in the Champions League but couldn’t do much in the biggest club platform.
Conte is expecting him to upgrade himself alongside Eden Hazard, Pedro, Willian and Fabregas next season as he will likely be deputised in place of Chelsea’s player of the season, N’Golo Kante, occasionally.
Golovin’s biggest strength in the middle of the park is his versatility. An attacking minded player, he can play as a playmaker, a defensive midfielder and even from the flanks. He has even managed to score from the left back’s role this season, although central midfield brought the best out of him.
Apart from that, he excels in tackling, perfecting them almost always; and has been seen dribbling past opponents way easily. He can hold the ball extremely well in pressure situations waiting for the perfect pass from the deep midfield.
The CSKA Moscow youth product has four years left on his contract with the club and Chelsea are reportedly willing to initiate a bid with £20 million. The lure of Premier League is expected to prove too much for the player.
