There are a lot of areas where Chelsea need to strengthen this summer. It is impossible to point the finger at one or two, considering how inconsistent the Blues were all season, both defensively and in front of goal. But there are some positions in more urgent need of reinforcements than others. And could a Manchester United player be the solution?
One such position is their left flank. Chelsea did try to solve the issue by signing one player from Manchester United, Alejandro Garnacho, and it did not work out. But they might be about to try again.
It was just yesterday that I had written an opinion piece about Chelsea needing to make a move for Marcus Rashford this summer, after Barcelona decided against taking up their option to buy. And it looks like that might actually be in the plans.
According to Simon Phillips on his Substack (via Football FanCast), Chelsea have held internal talks over a possible approach for Rashford this summer.
Chelsea linked with move for Rashford
When it comes to Rashford, many might have a preconceived notion of the player. After all, we have seen him make more than 400 appearances for Manchester United.
On his day, he can be exceptional. But most of the time, he does not meet the high expectations that his best version has set for him.
There is a reason Manchester United were willing to let Rashford join Barcelona on loan and set the option to buy only at €30 million. But Barca, having signed Anthony Gordon, were not even ready to take that up.
So, why am I suggesting that Rashford could be a good signing for Chelsea? Well, the numbers do paint a picture of a player who is worth a lot more than that €30 million fee.
Why Rashford could solve Chelsea’s problems
Every forward, whether a striker or a winger, is going to be judged by his output in modern football. That is simply the reality of the situation.
Rashford’s output was incredible during his loan spell at Barcelona. He scored 14 goals and provided 14 assists in 49 games and 2622 minutes of football.
If you break that down, that is a goal or an assist every 94 minutes. Or pretty much once every full game of football.
Does Chelsea have any winger capable of that kind of production? No. Even more importantly, was that a fluke on the part of Rashford? Well, he has scored 138 goals and provided 79 assists in 426 appearances for Man Utd. In total, he has played 28596 minutes for the club. That is a goal contribution every 132 minutes.
Or take his short stint at Aston Villa. He scored four goals and provided six assists in 17 appearances. He averaged a goal contribution every 94 minutes, just like at Barcelona.
At the international level for England, he has 18 goals and seven assists in 3229 minutes. A goal contribution every 129 minutes.
That is not a small sample size. Whether you like Rashford or not, there is no denying that his output from the wing is elite. Chelsea do have that at the moment. A move for him should be a no-brainer.
