Chelsea transfer news: Yannick Carrasco is the latest forward on Antonio Conte’s radar, but what will he bring to the Blues?
Football Whispers takes a look at the Belgian winger as the Stamford Bridge chief looks set to add him to his attack
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YANNICK CARRASCO hit the headlines in last season’s Champions League final.
But it wasn’t for the goal he scored, it was for his celebration.
After equalising against Real Madrid, the Atletico Madrid winger ran straight to the crowd to kiss model girlfriend Noemie Happart.
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And that beautiful combination may soon be heading to England.
Reports in Spain are linking the 23-year-old with a move to Chelsea, but he wouldn’t come cheap.
It was only in October when the Belgian signed a new contract with Atleti, which gave him an eye-watering buyout clause of £86m.
Is he worth the money? , who currently rate the Chelsea link as 2.9 out of 5, have cast a spotlight on the winger.
Carrasco has 15 caps and four goals for Belgium since making his debut in 2015, which was the same year he joined Atletico Madrid from Monaco.
He tends to plays on the left for his club side, a position which is currently taken up by none other than his compatriot, Eden Hazard, for Chelsea.
Neither is he averse to playing on the right – but wherever he plays it is fair to say he ticks all the right boxes.
The Genk youth product is good with the ball at his feet and often uses his pace to get by the defenders, not unlike the triumvirate of Hazard, Willian and Pedro.
And with Diego Costa’s future still up in the air, the logical deduction is that he would replace the striker in the starting line-up.
Chelsea have lined up with Hazard at the tip of their 3-4-3 on two occasions this season.
That has led to them winning 3-0 on both occasions, with the front three hailed as unstoppable.
And with Michy Batshuayi yet to convince him, perhaps Antonio Conte has identified that direction as the way forward for next season.
Carrasco would surely compete with Pedro and Willian for a spot in the starting XI.
And after Oscar’s departure, Chelsea are in need of new players to play in that role.
But how does he compare to those two?
In the league this season, Carrasco has the same amount of goals as Pedro (six) and one more than Willian, who has five.
But including assists, the Belgian has been involved in more goals.
Carrasco has been involved in nine league goals this season, while Pedro has been involved in eight and Willian just five.
In terms of his attacking threat, Carrasco has more shots per 90 minutes than Willian and Pedro too. He makes 3.4 compared to Pedro’s 2.3 and Willian’s 2.7.
Under Conte, Chelsea players are given licence to take players on, and Carrasco is level with Willian on successful take-ons per 90 minutes.
The pair make 3.2 each, while Pedro is behind them on 2.2 successful take-ons per 90 minutes.
Carrasco does fall down a little bit in terms of passing though.
He only makes 0.9 key passes per game, which is considerably lower than Willian’s three, but still higher than Pedro’s 0.7.
In terms of passing accuracy, he also trails the pair.
Carrasco has an 82% rate of passing accuracy, while both Pedro and Willian have a success rate of 85 per cent.
While those passing stats may not be quite as good as Willian’s and Pedro’s, you have to remember Carrasco is much younger than the pair.
He is just 23, while Willian is 28 and Pedro is 29 and therefore represents a much more long-term option for the Blues.
You would also expect him blossom under Conte’s watch as the Italian has improved almost all aspects of a rampant Chelsea team this season.
And despite Carrasco’s age, he has already shown he is the man for the big occasion – few players can boast a goal in the Champions League final by the age of 22.
But even with the money in the bank from the departure of Oscar to China, Chelsea may baulk at the prospect of paying such a large fee for a player who is currently very good, but nowhere near world class – despite his large potential.