Chelsea need to sign a centre-back or two this summer. It has been one of the problem positions for them for quite some time, going back to Enzo Maresca’s overlooked request to bring in a replacement for Levi Colwill, who had just suffered an ACL injury. In hindsight, he was absolutely correct. The Blues still need to strengthen their backline. Could a Tottenham Hotspur player be a solution?
Earlier, Chelsea had been linked with a move for Micky van de Ven. It was suggested that if Tottenham Hotspur got relegated, the Blues would make a move. Well, they stayed up. So, he is expected to stay. But there is a chance to sign a different Spurs centre-back, whose future might be even brighter.
Tottenham Hotspur seem to be aggressively strengthening their backline this summer. Marcos Senesi is expected to arrive as a free agent. They have also made a bid for Jan Paul van Hecke. Also, Spurs still have the aforementioned Van de Ven and Cristian Romero.
Their transfer activity might convince Luka Vuskovic that it is time for a change of scenery. And if it does, Chelsea should not think twice before making their move.
Chelsea should try to sign Luka Vuskovic from Tottenham
Vuskovic is a 19-year-old Croatian centre-back who spent the season on loan at Hamburg. But have I not been calling for experience and proven quality to be brought in for months, even years?
Well, yes, I have. But the thing is, Vuskovic looks very special. He is the type of talent that BlueCo should have always been targeting rather than filling up the roster with players who were never going to make it.
So, who is Vuskovic and why should Chelsea try to sign him? Well, let’s take a deep dive into his numbers and also what he has achieved in his brief career.
Why Vuskovic could be a brilliant signing
Vuskovic made his debut two days after his 16th birthday. He started and played the entire game for Hajduk Split against Dinamo Zagreb.
That is known as the Eternal Derby in Croatian football. And it just shows how highly he was regarded. It would be like a 16-year-old English centre-back making their debut by starting for Manchester United against Liverpool.
It was last summer that Tottenham signed him for a transfer fee in the region of £12 million. And for all the youngsters Chelsea have signed in recent years, somehow, they missed out on Vuskovic.
So, why do I think that Vuskovic is special? Well, he was a regular starter while on loan at Hamburg last season. And some of the numbers he put up simply cannot be ignored.
Firstly, Vuskovic scored six goals in the Bundesliga, more than any other centre-back in the Bundesliga. The 6’4″ Croatian international was in the 93rd percentile or higher in pretty much every meaningful metric going forward.
Of course, Chelsea will need a solid defender, not just someone who can make a difference on the opposite end of the pitch. Well, they will get that in Vuskovic as well.
He is in the 97th percentile for clearances, 96th percentile for defensive contributions, 95th percentile for blocked shots, 92nd percentile for recoveries and 91st percentile for interceptions. He is also in the 98th percentile for aerial duels won and 95th percentile for just duels won.
Even with the ball at his feet, he is solid. He completes almost 89% of his dribbles, 83% of his passes and 43% of his long balls. If there is one shortcoming in Vuskovic’s game, it might be his passing, and even that is of a good level. Those figures can be a bit deceiving as well, because he is the type of centre-back who seems open to playing an adventurous pass, which might take his efficiency down.
Stats are not everything in football, but numbers like this don’t lie. When it comes to the eye test, the one thing that stands out is that even though Vuskovic is not the fastest centre-back, his sense of positioning means that he is almost always in the right place.
