Chelsea are enduring a second consecutive season of footballing misery this year; the hope that came along with a new manager in Mauricio Pochettino and a relatively impressive pre-season faded quickly at the start of the campaign and, with 17 Premier League games done, the Blues find themselves closer to 20th than 1st.
Their midweek win over Newcastle United to set up a League Cup semi-final in the new year was a welcomed distraction from their league form. Still, the club must re-enter the transfer market in January if they want to challenge for fifth place in the new year.
The west London side have struggled for goals this year, so one of the latest names touted with a move to Stamford Bridge should excite fans, as his high energy and creativity have seen him compared to Arsenal's Martin Odegaard: Nicolo Barella.
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ByJack Salveson HolmesDec 19, 2023 Chelsea transfer news – Nicolo Barella
According to a report from Spain (via TEAMtalk), Chelsea are one of a number of Premier League clubs interested in signing Inter Milan's star midfielder.
The report reveals that the Blues – along with the other sides – are closely monitoring the player's contract negotiations with the Serie A giants and are ready to pounce with an ambitious January bid should Barella appear unhappy with what he is offered.
The report also reveals that the current Serie A leaders value their "little warrior", as described by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, at between £70-£80m, which is a price that Chelsea have proven they are willing to deal at in recent windows.
So far this season, the 26-year-old has scored one goal and provided three assists in 15 league starts while maintaining a passing accuracy of 86.2%, winning one Man-of-the-Match award and averaging a match rating of 6.88, per WhoScored.
Chelsea could sign their own Martin Odegaard in Nicolo Barella
There were few better midfielders in the Premier League last season than Arsenal's Odegaard – 15 goals and seven assists in the league proves as much – and while he has taken a little longer to get into the swing of this season, he is once again looking a class above most others in his position.
With this in mind, it should be incredibly encouraging to see that the Norwegian maestro makes it as one of the ten most similar players in Europe's top five leagues to Barella, according to FBref, as it indicates the kind of impact the Italian could have in English football.
Position
Player
Club
1.
Bernado Silva
Manchester City
2.
Branco van den Boomen
Ajax
3.
Pascal Groß
Brighton & Hove Albion
4.
Piotr Zieliński
Napoli
5.
Romano Schmid
Werder Bremen
6.
Lee Kang-in
Paris Saint-Germain
7.
Martin Odegaard
Arsenal
Comparison Via FBref
Furthermore, while he stacks up well with the Gunners' captain, he outclasses the Blues' midfielders. His ability to play in both central and attacking midfield roles would make him the perfect player to add to Pochettino's core.
When comparing the former Cagliari star's underlying numbers to those of Conor Gallagher – the man he'd likely replace – it becomes clear just how much better he really is.
Stats (per 90)
Barella
Gallagher
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.23
0.20
Progressive Carries
2.28
1.97
Progressive Passes
10.0
6.19
Shot-Creating Actions
3.88
3.53
Goal-Creating Actions
0.66
0.47
Tackles Won
0.88
1.77
Fouls Committed
0.81
2.45
All Stats via FBref for the 2023/24 Domestic Season
The "exceptional player", as described by U23 scout Antonio Mango, comes out on top in almost every critical metric. He creates more chances, scores more goals and fouls the opposition far less often than the competition.
The only area in which Gallagher has him beat is in successful tackles, although this could be more related to team instructions than pure talent.
At the end of the day, Chelsea need some attacking reinforcements, and Barella, who Jacek Kulig dubbed as "one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the world", would be the perfect signing.