It is hard to predict what the future holds for Enzo Fernandez. For a while, it had looked like he had a foot out of the Stamford Bridge exit door. But his agent has calmed the situation down a bit lately. The Argentine midfielder has apologised and will return to the squad when Chelsea take on Manchester United next.
The long-term situation of Fernandez is not completely clear though. Chelsea not only look likely to miss out on Champions League football, but European qualification altogether. If that does happen, it would be understandable for the club’s top players to seek moves away. BlueCo have painted themselves into a corner.
Anyways, Chelsea continue to be linked with midfielders as well. So, it is possible that they are eyeing potential replacements in the scenario that Fernandez leaves.
According to the outlet Turkish-Football, Manchester United and Chelsea are ready to go head-to-head for the signature of Christ Inao Oulai. Trabzonspor would want around €50 million for their breakout star.
Chelsea linked with move for Ivory Coast international
Chelsea fans want the club to go out and sign proven, experienced players. That is the need of the hour after years of recruiting wonderkids, most of whom have failed to meet expectations.
I believe signing proven quality should be the number one priority for Chelsea this summer as well. That being said, it is hard not to be impressed by some of the numbers that Oulai has put up for Trabzonspor.
He looks like a complete midfielder and someone who would add a lot to his Chelsea midfield, if his quality translates to the Premier League. Perhaps he is being viewed as a replacement for Romeo Lavia, who has spent the majority of the past three seasons out injured.
What does the data say about Christ Inao Oulai
Oulai is not a physical presence by any means, standing at 5′ 8″. But he can do pretty much everything in the middle of the park.
Passing seems to be the standout characteristic of his game. Oulai falls in the 97th percentile for chances created, 96th percentile for assists and successful passes, 95th percentile for accurate long balls, accurate long balls % and successful passes %, 92nd percentile for expected assists and 91st percentile for successful crosses.
A lot of midfielders who are great at passing do not seem of similar quality when carrying the ball. That is not the case with Oulai. He falls in the 98th percentile for successful dribbles, 93rd percentile for fouls won and 92nd percentile for touches. He also won 125 duels, putting him in the 90th percentile.
Well, there has to be some weakness in Oulai’s game, right? The defensive side of his game? Well, probably not. He 92nd percentile for recoveries, 88th percentile for possession won in the final third and 83rd percentile for fouls.
That looks like a complete midfielder in every sense of the term. The only two small weaknesses that I could find are that he is not the best aerially, which you would expect for his size. Still, he does win 50% of his aerial duels. He can get dispossessed quite a bit, and he does get dribbled past often as well.
