In all the money they have spent over the past few summers, Chelsea have not been afraid to splash the big bucks on players from within the Premier League.
Without doubt, the best example of that is Moises Caicedo, who cost them a British record fee of £115m.
In fact, Brighton and Hove Albion has been a club they have regularly turned to for new players. They have also signed Robert Sanchez and Marc Cucurella from the Seagulls, of course, also previously hiring Graham Potter from the south coast.
On top of those additions, they have signed the likes of Pedro Neto from Wolverhampton Wanderers and have also dipped into the loan market, temporarily signing Jadon Sancho from Manchester United.
Now, they might be set to repeat the feat in the summer transfer window once again.
Chelsea’s new Premier League target
One man who could be of interest to several elite Premier League clubs this summer is Mohammed Kudus.
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The Ghanaian attacker has impressed at West Ham United during his time there, and they may be forced to sell him in the next transfer window.
Well, according to a report from Caught Offside, Chelsea are one of the sides interested in signing Kudus this summer. They are thought to be ‘monitoring his situation’ ahead of a potential transfer saga in the coming months.
It could well be one of the sagas of the window, too. Chelsea might have to go head-to-head with two divisional rivals in order to sign the attacker.
Arsenal and Liverpool are also thought to be interested, with Football Insider reporting that he could cost upwards of £85m for English top flight clubs. Saudi side Al-Nassr could also make a move, but would have to pay £125m.
How Kudus could help Cole Palmer at Chelsea
It has not quite been the electric season Kudus might have hoped for this term in a Hammers shirt. He has only managed three goals and two assists in the Premier League, having made 27 appearances so far.
That is a far cry from his numbers in the previous campaign. The Ghana international notched up an impressive eight goals and nine assists in the 2023/24 Premier League season, in just 33 games.
He has shown quite a lot of inconsienty this term, having not scored in the top flight since his goal against Brighton at the London Stadium in December, just days before Christmas. It has now been 15 Premier League games without a goal for Kudus, although he did grab an assist against Bournemouth three games ago.
There is a Chelsea star going on a similarly lean run of form at the moment, Cole Palmer. Despite the fact he has 14 goals and nine assists this term in the top flight, the England international has struggled in front of goal in recent weeks.
It has now been 11 top flight games for the former Manchester City star since he last scored, against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge in the middle of January. Given the talent Palmer has, that might certainly be a surpise.
Well, just maybe Kudus can help spark Palmer back into life again next season. Even though it has been a campaign in which he has struggled, the creativity numbers as per FBref have still been noteworthy. For example, he averages 2.66 progressive passes this season, ranking him in the top 15% of forwards in Europe’s big five leagues.
|
Kudus key creative stats 2024/25 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stat (per 90) |
Number |
Percentile |
|
Key passes |
1.07 |
63rd |
|
Passes into final third |
1.45 |
83rd |
|
Passes into penalty area |
0.97 |
89th |
|
Progressive passes |
2.66 |
85th |
|
Shot-creating actions |
3.84 |
95th |
|
Stats from FBref |
||
Making the move to Chelsea could certainly reinvigorate Kudus’ career. It has not exactly been an easy season for West Ham, with the change of coach and the fact they find themselves not too far from the relegation zone.
With Kudus’ natural ability on the ball, particularly when carrying forwards, and the creative spark he has, it should pair well with Palmer, who would benefit from another player on his wavelength.
The Ghana star is a “beast” in the words of Antonio Mango, and he could really elevate Chelsea and help bring the best out of one of their most important players.
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