Enzo Maresca may be ruling his side out of the title race, but make no mistake, his Chelsea side are very much in the mix.
Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over Brentford moved them to within just two points of league leaders Liverpool in the Premier League table and the Blues are currently top of the form guide.
A huge part of their success this season has been their fluidity in attack, and they are currently the Premier League’s top scorers with an impressive 37, averaging 2.31 goals per match and failing to score in only 6% of their games.
Players such as Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernández have been earning plaudits for their displays this season. However, it seems one forward’s days could be numbered at the club, with owner Todd Boehly looking to splash the cash once again in a bid to push for honours.
Chelsea lining up Mykhaylo Mudryk replacement
Mykhaylo Mudryk has endured a difficult time since arriving at Stamford Bridge and this season the Ukrainian winger in particular has struggled for form and minutes under manager Maresca.
Mudryk has made just seven appearances for Chelsea in the league and is yet to register a goal or assist, despite scoring three times in the Conference League.
It’s only gone from bad to worse for him too, as according to Sky Sports, Mudryk has also been ‘provisionally suspended’ by the FA due to ‘an adverse finding’ in a urine sample.
It seems that Maresca and Boehly may finally be running out of patience with the winger and according to Spanish reports in recent days, Chelsea are said to be lining up Barcelona winger Raphinha as Mudryk’s replacement.
Raphinha has been in scintillating form for Barcelona this season and has been described by journalist Dougie Critchley as ‘Europe’s best player in 24/25.’
A deal for the Brazilian winger would not be easy for the Blues with Barcelona expected to demand around the £85m mark. Raphinha would certainly give Chelsea yet another attacking option and already has Premier League experience from his time with Leeds.
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Raphinha would present a Mudryk upgrade
Brazilian winger Raphina has lit up La Liga and Europe this season, scoring 11 times in 18 appearances in the league and adding a further eight goal contributions in just six Champions League games.
Should Chelsea be able to strike a deal with his current club Barcelona, Raphinha would certainly present as an upgrade on current failing winger Mudryk.
Goals
11
0
Assists
6
0
Progressive passes
4.88
2.94
Shots on target
1.44
0.6
Pass completion
69.7%
66.7%
Crosses
101
7
Goal creating actions
0.9
0
Raphinha clearly leads the way in terms of goal contributions with 11 goals and six assists compared to Mudryk failing to get off the mark in either. It seems the Brazilian is more proactive in the final third too, with 94 more crosses provided and 0.9 goal-creating actions compared to the Ukranian’s 0.
Furthermore, Raphinha’s all-round game would be more refined with a higher pass completion and progressive passes metric, something that would suit Maresca’s possession-based build-up play.
If Chelsea can secure the signing of one of Europe’s most in-form players, it may just be that something extra needed to propel them to their first league title since 2017.
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