It's been a wild seven days for Chelsea Football Club, seven days that have seen the team fall to an embarrassing 2-2 draw with a ten-man Burnley side and then win 4-3 against Manchester United in one of the best games of the season.
Mauricio Pochettino still looks as lost as ever in the hot seat, but Cole Palmer's sheer brilliance was enough to carry his team through Thursday night's game.
That said, there were still a number of dreadful performances from those in Blue, such as Moises Caicedo, and it looks like the club could already be looking for his replacement based on reports this week.
Chelsea transfer news
According to reports from Spain earlier this week (via Caught Offside), Chelsea could launch a 'surprise raid' for Real Madrid's supremely gifted midfielder, Aurélien Tchouaméni.
The report has revealed that while even though there have been talks of financial fair play complications surrounding the club in recent months, Todd Boehly and Co are still keen on signing 'elite' players and would even be willing to sell Conor Gallagher to free up funds for such a move.
No price has been mentioned yet, but considering Real paid an initial €80m – £69m – to get their man in June 2022, it will likely cost a lot more than that, especially as the CIES Football Observatory currently values him at €100m, which is about £86m.
It would certainly be difficult and costly to complete, but if Chelsea can convince the Frenchman to join the club, it could seriously improve their midfield, although it might not be so good for Caicedo's long-term future.
How Tchouameni compares to Caicedo
Now, it might seem absurd to think that Chelsea are already looking to replace their £115m summer signing, but after a debut season in which he has made several high-profile mistakes, such as giving the ball to Alejandro Garnacho for his opening goal on Thursday night, it might not be.
The Blues may be under different ownership these days, but with the pressure continuing to mount on Boehly and Co on a weekly basis, they might do something drastic, and with Tchouameni favouring the defensive midfield role the Ecuadorian plays, it feels ominous.
With that said, which midfielder is superior? Well, the first thing to consider is their respective experience, which, unfortunately for the former Brighton & Hove Albion ace, is an area he can't win.
In all, he has made just 91 appearances for a top-flight European side, 53 of which were for the Seagulls. In comparison, the Real ace has made 37 appearances for Bordeaux, 95 for AS Monaco, and 82 for Los Blancos, in which he has won a Spanish Cup, Spanish Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup, and Club World Cup.
Furthermore, he has won 31 caps for the French national team, including seven at the 2022 World Cup, where he played the full 120 minutes of the final.
Okay, so what about their underlying numbers? Is the comparison one-sided there? Well, it's more bad news for the Chelsea man, as in the vast majority of relevant metrics, he is second, and in some areas, by quite some way.
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.09
0.08
Non-Penalty Goals
0.10
0.00
Assists
0.05
0.04
Progressive Carries
1.15
0.52
Progressive Passes
5.29
5.11
Shots on Target
0.21
0.04
Passing Accuracy
90.8%
91.2%
Shot-Creating Actions
1.36
1.86
Goal-Creating Actions
0.47
0.35
Tackles Won
1.62
2.60
Interceptions
1.31
1.04
Clearances
2.20
1.39
Errors Leading to a Goal
0.05
0.13
Ball Recoveries
4.29
6.02
Aerial Duels Won
2.36
1.04
For example, Real's "one-man war machine," as talent scout Jacek Kulig described him, produces far better attacking and goalscoring numbers, wins significantly more aerial duels, makes more interceptions and clearances, makes fewer errors that lead to a goal, and completes far more progressive passes and carries per 90.
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Ultimately, if Chelsea can get their hands on Tchouaméni this summer, even for £86m plus, they should. However, that could very much spell the end of Caicedo's Blues career before it ever really got the chance to begin.