It has been a frustrating start to the 2023/24 Premier League campaign for Chelsea as they have been unable to shake off their woes from last season.
The Blues, who missed out on European football entirely last term, are currently sitting in 13th place, and the best they can hope for if they are able to beat Tottenham Hotspur on Monday night is tenth.
Mauricio Pochettino's side have won three and lost four of their opening ten top-flight matches and the club may, again, turn to the transfer window in an attempt to solve their problems on the pitch.
Chelsea transfer news – Edmond Tapsoba
According to CaughtOffside, the Blues plan to make Bayer Leverkusen central defender Edmond Tapsoba one of their top priority targets in 2024, with the summer – rather than January – said to be when they will target him.
The report has claimed that the London-based outfit are eyeing up the Bundesliga enforcer as a potential replacement for one of their current first-team defenders. It is stated that Trevoh Chalobah is 'highly likely' to move on from Stamford Bridge amid interest from Bayern Munich and Nottingham Forest, who were both keen on him last summer.
The 6 foot 4 central defender is not in Pochettino's plans, and the academy graduate could now be replaced by Tapsoba next year if the club are able to secure a deal for his services. That said, there is no mention of how much the talented battler would cost or if Leverkusen would even entertain the idea of cashing in on him at the end of the season.
The statistics that show why Tapsoba could replace Chalobah
Chelsea could improve the depth of their squad by securing an excellent replacement for Chalobah with the signing of Tabsoba, as the Bundesliga ace is a phenomenal progressive passer from a centre-back position.
The 24-year-old titan, who was once dubbed a "monster" by U23 scout Antonio Mango, excels at pushing his team up the pitch to start attacks with his incisive passing and willingness to drive forward with the ball at his feet. Over the last 365 days, the Leverkusen star ranks within the top 3% of his positional peers across the Men's Big Five Leagues and European competitions for progressive passes (6.15) per 90.
He also ranks within the top 2% and the top 7% for successful take-ons (0.77) and progressive carries (1.52) per 90 respectively during that period.
Appearances
33
Pass accuracy
86%
Tackles
36
Interceptions
50
Clearances
99
Chalobah meanwhile has failed to crack the top 30% for progressive passes (4.03) per 90, and has averaged fewer successful take-ons (0.53) and progressive carries (1.37) per 90 in comparison to the Chelsea transfer target. These statistics suggest that the Burkina Faso international would improve the Blues in terms of what they want to do on the ball, due to his exceptional progressive play.
Tapsoba could also provide more defensive interventions out of possession. He has won 3.9 duels per game across the Bundesliga campaign so far this season, whereas Chalobah won 3.1 per match over 25 Premier League outings last term.
At the age of 24, the Leverkusen ace would also arrive with time and room to grow and develop under Pochettino, which is another reason why this could be a shrewd piece of business for Chelsea to make.
