The idea of “getting a transfer window” is rather vague, but it’s fair to say that Chelsea is, at least in this year’s running.
The conference league champions have already made some smart sales this summer, significantly bolstering Enzo Maresca’s core team.
For example, Jamie Gittens, Joan Pedro and Liam Dellup could bring goals to West London next season and help the Blues fire into the real Premier League title race.
Still, Blueco is not happening there. Now it’s not done there as it links the club with an international star who could become its own answer to Rodrigo.
A Chelsea Star that could become your own Rodrigo
Rodrigo has been promoted for his move to Chelsea this summer, but it’s their rivals who have linked more consistently with Real Madrid stars like Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.
Worriedly, the former Santos gem is the kind of player who can seriously improve those aspects, and while this price tag looks like the £86 million mark, it doesn’t seem unrealistic for one of them to reach out to him at some point this summer.
But the loyal Bruce doesn’t have to worry. Now it appears that the club is compared to the 24-year-old and may be his version of Maresca’s own version.
At least that has reaffirmed that Chelsea is extremely interested in signing Xavi Simons this summer, according to a recent report from transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
In fact, Italian journalists have revealed that consultations between the West Londoners and RB Leipzig are currently in a “high-level” stage, with the Dutch revealing that he “want” a move.
Romano has not mentioned any potential prices, but other stories this month show that the approximately £61 million fee should be enough to close the deal. It’s a lot of money, but it’s worth it for Simons quality players, especially as it’s compared to Rodrigo.
How Simons compares to Rodrigo
Before we explore other reasons, Chelsea need to sign Simmons as soon as possible, so it’s essential to compare it with Rodrigo and find out where it came from.
This example comes from FBREF, who analyzed players in similar positions in the Champions League last season and concluded that the Real Madrid star was the most similar offensive midfielder or winger to Leipzig Ace.
By examining the underlying numbers where the pairs are closely ranked, we can better understand how this conclusion was reached.
Simons & Rodrigo | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistics per 90 | Lopez | Rodrigo |
Non-penalty prediction G+as | 0.40 | 0.48 |
shot | 2.69 | 2.57 |
Key Pass | 1.89 | 1.65 |
The tackle won | 1.08 | 1.13 |
block | 1.35 | 1.24 |
A successful take-on | 1.89 | 1.86 |
24/25 All statistics via FBREF for the UCL Campaign | ||
These not only point out that the previous PSV Eindhovengem is someone who can fit the creative output of Brazil, but they also encourage him to share as it is his defensive work.
That being said, it’s great to be compared to one of the best wingers in the world, but there are other reasons why Maresca and Co sign the 22-year-old this summer, including his raw output.
For example, with just 33 appearances last season, Amsterdam-born “Game Changer” scored 11 goals and provided eight assists as talent scout Jace Krigg called him.
In other words, the sensational talent that analyst called “one of the 10 bests in the world” was able to average goal involvement every 1.73 games or every 144 minutes.
In the end, he’ll spend quite a bit of pennies, but Chelsea should be doing everything they can to sign Simons this summer.