The World Cup is now in full swing and the tournament is already starting to give the wider footballing audience a look at some talents they might not have known much about. One of them is an 18-year-old Moroccan midfielder who dominated the middle of the park against Brazil. And it looks like Chelsea are very much in the mix to sign him.
We have seen Chelsea sign players based on their World Cup displays in the past. Enzo Fernandez remains one of the faces of the team. He was arguably the club’s best player last season and it will take Real Madrid, or anybody else, £120 million to sign him this summer.
Juan Cuadrado is another name that comes to mind in this respect. He was signed after an excellent 2014 World Cup campaign. His stint at Chelsea was much less successful though, but he found success at Juventus after leaving. So, it was less about the talent and more about the fit.
Now, according to Media Foot, Chelsea are pulling out all the stops to convince Ayyoub Bouaddi. Currently, the Blues are among the frontrunners to sign him.
Chelsea in the mix to sign Ayyoub Bouaddi after world-class performance vs Brazil
Bouaddi’s name might be on everybody’s lips after his performance against Brazil, but he has not come out of nowhere.
On the contrary, it was reported that Chelsea were ready to pay €45 million to sign him in the winter from Lille. That figure is only expected to have risen since then.
Bouaddi had the most touches, won the most duels and completed the most successful passes in the opposition’s half against Brazil. He also did so while completing 93% of his passes.
In the process, he completely outshone Casemiro, a multiple-time Champions League winner and one of the best ever in his role. To achieve that at 18 years of age is remarkable.
Bouaddi looks like a special talent
Bouaddi might be just 18 years of age but he has already made almost 100 appearances for Lille. You do not do that unless you are a special talent.
If I had to make one comparison, Bouaddi appears to be everything that Chelsea would have hoped Romeo Lavia would turn into. Instead, the Belgian has spent the last years struggling with fitness issues and never completely a full 90 minutes for the club.
Lille have a history of producing elite talents. Chelsea fans should know that well. A certain Eden Hazard made his name there before moving to Stamford Bridge and solidifying himself as one of the best to ever do it in the Premier League.
Obviously, many eyebrows will be raised at the suggestion of signing another wonderkid. The club have signed plenty in recent years and most of them have failed to meet expectations.
In the case of Bouaddi, he does look like an elite talent and someone Chelsea should be keeping on their radar, especially with the uncertainty around the future of Fernandez.
