Maresca already has an enormous Amougou improve & he is by no means performed for Chelsea

Chelsea are wanting quite gentle within the midfield division, with Roméo Lavia persevering with to undergo from accidents, each Cesare Casadei and Renato Veiga leaving within the January window and a number of different midfielders out on mortgage.

This has seen Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernández beginning virtually each sport, with many starting to query their workload, afraid of the pair turning into jaded and selecting up an damage.

Fortunately, on deadline day, Enzo Maresca’s aspect did handle to make one midfield signing, with Mathis Amougou becoming a member of from St Etienne for a payment of round £12.5m.

However this late scramble might’ve been averted had Chelsea recalled considered one of their two central midfielders out on mortgage, each of whom have proven indicators of functionality in an analogous position.

Lesley Ugochukwu is considered one of them however he is not the one one. Keep tuned…

How Lesley Ugochukwu is doing at Southampton

Ugochukwu is among the Chelsea midfielders out on mortgage this season. Having joined Southampton on a short lived foundation in the summertime, the 20-year-old has made 18 appearances in all competitions, offering two assists, contributing to a few clear sheets and totalling 1,029 minutes performed.

Impressively, the French midfielder has been in comparison with Aurelien Tchouameni’s degree of potential, by Liam Twomey from The Athletic, standing at 6 foot 3, overlaying floor in central areas very well, making excessive numbers of defensive actions – 3.86 tackles per 90 – and being technically astute on the ball to obtain in tight areas.

Regardless of having Ugochukwu as one choice to convey again from mortgage, Southampton’s change in supervisor (Ivan Juric) noticed the French midfielder given extra minutes, which means the Blues determined to maintain him at Southampton for the rest of the season so as to help his improvement.

However there was one other midfield choice out on mortgage who might have returned to have a big impact at Chelsea.

How Andrey Santos compares to Mathis Amougou

Maybe the crown jewel of younger skills acquired by Chelsea and despatched out on mortgage for a number of seasons, is Brazilian midfielder, Andrey Santos. He isn’t performed a single minute for the Blues but, consequently spending the previous 12 months at Strasbourg on mortgage.

Throughout all competitions, the 20-year-old star has been “immense” within the phrases of analyst Ben Mattinson. He has made 20 appearances to date this season for the French outfit, scoring eight targets, offering two assists, contributing to 4 clear sheets and that includes for a complete of 1,764 minutes.

When evaluating Santos’s underlying numbers with Chelsea’s new midfield signing – curiously each taking part in in Ligue 1 this season – you’ll be able to see how far forward Santos presently is along with his sport, being extra comfy on the ball, making extra passes, extra progressive actions and finishing extra defensive actions per 90 too.

Santos has been described as a “one-man warfare machine” by Jacek Kulig up to now, being well-known for being an all-action midfielder, who contributes in all phases, can drop deep to hyperlink play, shield the backline in defensive transition, get caught in to win duels, but additionally arrive within the field and add targets for the workforce.

While Ugochukwu and Santos would have been extra able to contribute now, Chelsea have clearly taken the route of permitting them to finish their mortgage cycles, proceed their improvement with constant minutes, earlier than rejoining the squad subsequent season, when Amougou will possible obtain a mortgage to help his improvement in an analogous approach.

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