After a series of problems arising due to the injuries to full-backs, the Chelsea board were expected to make a move for a left-back in January but the window was very quiet for the Blues who are looking to big in the summer. There is no hiding that left-back might be one position where new additions can be made.
Reports suggest that Chelsea might let go of Alonso, who has generated interest from Spain and also that Emerson has a buying clause in his current loan move, which could be triggered considering his utility in France. This will leave Chelsea with Chilwell, who will be returning from the ACL injury and Ian Maatsen, who is still very young to directly be in the first-team squad. This definitely calls for recruitment for the position.
Who is Borna Sosa?
Sosa, 24, is a Croatian left-back, who can also operate as an attacking left wing-back, playing for VfB Stuttgart. He was raised in the Dinamo Zagreb academy, which is also known for raising talents like Modric and current Chelsea player Kovacic.
Sosa made a move to the German club in 2018 and has lived up to his potential. He was impressive in a back 4 but was much more impressive when the system was converted to a back 3 and is regarded highly for his attacking contributions when given the freedom. Borna idolizes David Beckham and hopes to accomplish some percent of his feet.
How can he be the Solution?
Scouting the Croatian clearly suggests that Chelsea are looking for an Alonso replacement as the 24-year-old shares traits similar to the Spanish wing-back. He is great on the dead ball and is more offensive-minded when deployed in a back 3. Adding to this, he is a very good crosser of the ball and this could be very useful for Chelsea with Reece James on the opposite side. They can be very good suppliers for a poacher like Lukaku.
Tuchel always loves his team to be good with the ball and Borna is definitely the one who is good with his passing and is very concentrated. He can play a number of key passes with good hold up play. He could be a key substitute if Tuchel wants to shake things up a bit.
But, the problem with the full-back is that he is not very good in his defensive duties and will thus present the same problems that Alonso presented on the pitch. He has a very low successful tackle percentage and this could be a big problem in Premier League where many clubs try to force attacks from wings.
Looking at all these, Chelsea remains one of the clubs who are interested in the Croatian full-back with interests from other German and English clubs.
