Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is mulling over continuing the club’s lucrative spending spree with a swoop for Napoli prodigy Khvicha Kvaratskhelia…
What’s the latest on Chelsea’s pursuit of Kvaratskhelia?
According to Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport, the Partenopei are preparing to double the wages of the man they signed only last summer, penning a five-year deal and departing Georgian outfit Dinamo Batumi.
Previously desired by Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea could look to increase the £550m spending spree and pump some attacking life back into the fold, with the Azzurri potentially holding out for as much as €100m (£87m) for one of their most coveted assets.
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is reportedly moving swiftly to ensure his phenom is tied down for the long-term, but should Chelsea forge ahead with their interest, the allure of the Premier League and Stamford Bridge might be too great to resist.
Would Kvaratskhelia be “magic” for Chelsea?
Despite only costing Napoli a fee in the region of £10m, Kvaratskhelia is now one of the most touted forces in the world, part of a deadly offensive line in a Naples-based outfit that perches a remarkable 17 points clear after 24 Serie A matches this season.
And having plundered 12 goals and 15 assists from just 26 appearances this season, the 22-year-old is prolific in both direct potency and creative ingenuity; ferocious and unflinching.
Dubbed “magic” by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the former Rubin Kazan man’s average Sofascore rating of 7.38 in the league this term surpasses any player in the entire Chelsea squad, averaging 2.9 shots and making 1.6 key passes per game, creating a total of 11 big chances.
And with an 81% pass success rate and 1.4 tackles per outing, the robust nature of his game is a tantalising element, one which could leave him tailor-made for a starring role in the Premier League.
As per FBref, the Georgian, with ten goals from 19 international caps, ranks among the top 9% of attacking midfielders and wingers for goals, the top 1% for assists, the top 13% for shot-creating actions, the top 7% for progressive carries and the top 11% for successful take-ons per 90, and for a Blues team languishing in tenth place in the league and boasting just 23 goals from 24 matches, his inclusion could be invaluable to the club’s resurgence.
Liverpool gem Mohamed Salah is listed as a comparable player to the burgeoning ace, with the Egyptian’s phenomenal rate with the Reds leaving him among the pantheon of active forward talents; scoring 175 goals and assisting 72 more across 289 outings.
And with Salah averaging 3.1 shots and 1.7 key passes per match across the entirety of his career, as per WhoScored, Kvaratskhelia is clearly a machine of the same ilk, and already flourishing in one of Europe’s most deadly outfits, he could even transcend from the work that Salah has marvellously forged over the past years.
Quite simply, the £26k-per-week “genius” – as lauded by Carlo Garganese – is as dynamic as they come and offers a set of skills capable of unlocking the tightest of defensive lines and breaking the resolve of even the toughest opposition.
Given the sheer scope of the quality within Chelsea’s ranks, it appears a matter of when, and not if, the components will gel together and the cogs will start whirring at full force.
And with Kvaratskhelia arriving to ply his trade on English soil, Chelsea’s technical director Christopher Vivell would indeed land the wizardry and ‘magic’ of one of Europe’s most lightning-searing sensations to spearhead the new era.
Just imagine the havoc that would be wreaked in the Premier League…
