According to CalcioMercatoWeb, Chelsea have made a bid for AS Roma’s Nicola Zalewski who is being pursued by Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur too this summer. The bid is reportedly in the region of 40 million pounds and the West London club looks keen on signing the 20-year-old who has shown great potential and is dubbed as the Giallorossi’s “greatest talent” in Italy.
Nicola Zalewski – Player Profile
Zalewski is a player who broke into the first team through under current manager Jose Mourinho at AS Roma from the club’s U-19 side. At 5’4, he isn’t the tallest of midfielders even though he is a physical player. His professional debut came in last season’s Conference League encounter against Manchester United wherein the Polish midfielder was instrumental in his side’s triumph against the Red Devils.
The 20-year-old can play as a left-sided midfielder and in the middle of the park as a box-to-box player who can dribble past the opposition’s press and be influential in the final third for his team. Nicola Zalewski’s stats last season are truly phenomenal for a player who had his debut season. He is an adventurous midfielder who can cause havoc in the midfield with his tackles and pressures which is similar to a mix of the playing styles of Chelsea’s current midfielders Mateo Kovacic and N’golo Kante.
Why are Chelsea after Zalewski?
Thomas Tuchel has a midfield crisis at the club in the long run with midfield duo N’golo Kante and Jorginho turning 32 and 31 respectively by the end of next season. The former has just a year left on his contract and talks for a new deal haven’t begun yet and is certainly an uncertain situation for the Blues. Jorginho on the other hand has been linked with a move back to Italy every transfer window and this rumour could turn into reality sooner rather than later with Juventus and Napoli interested in bringing the Italian back to his native.
Nicola Zalewski is a player who can replace either of the midfielders in the long term and develop under Thomas Tuchel as one of the midfielders in his double pivot.
Will Roma consider offers for their wonderkid?
The Gillarossi are open to letting Zalewski move to another club with the Italian side holding for out for a transfer fee in the region of 50 million pounds. Such an astronomical fee for a player who just played 9 Serie A games last season and was a substitute for the majority of the season, would be a stumbling block in any deal with the interested clubs.
What could Nicola Zalewski bring to Chelsea?
Chelsea have lacked box-to-box midfielders ever since the departures of Frank Lampard and Michael Essien who can put in an all-round display and be influential in both halves of the pitch. N’golo Kante has struggled to remain fit in recent seasons, Ruben Loftus Cheek lacks consistency in his performances and Conor Gallagher is yet to hit the ground running after his loan spell at Crystal Palace.
Zalewski ticks all the boxes Tuchel demands from his midfielders in the double pivot. His low center of gravity makes it easier to get past challenges and dribble through when put under pressure with an eye for a goal whenever the opportunity arises.
Author’s Opinion
It will be an exciting signing if Todd Boehly manages to convince Roma to sell Zalewski. The midfielder would definitely be an upgrade on the current options and be a solid player under Thomas Tuchel. Nicola Zalewski will require time to adjust to the physicality of the league and settle in. The potential is there but it remains to be seen whether he is ready for the big step of his career in the best league in the world.
