Introduction
A position often heavily scrutinised in Enzo Maresca’s system at Chelsea are his wingers, who are tasked with holding the width in the early stages of build-up, pinning opposition fullbacks and looking to isolate them 1v1 at any given chance.
However, the profiles of wingers Chelsea currently have at their disposal aren’t the exact archetype Maresca would favour, apart from Noni Madueke who fits the bill.
Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho are slightly different in style, therefore offering a plan B when needed.
Chelsea looking to improve their attack
Adding another direct type winger who is more akin to Madueke on the opposite side could take Chelsea to another level next season, giving them directness on both flanks to force the issue and create high xG chances.
So, it will come as no surprise to learn they’re after one of the finest wingers in European football right now.
Indeed, according to reports from Spain, Chelsea are one of three teams who are ‘ready to make a move’ for Barcelona forward, Raphinha, with the Blues identifying the Brazilian winger as a “priority target”. The other two clubs interested are Manchester City and Saudi side Al Hilal.
The Blues were in for Raphinha back in 2022 prior to his move to Barcelona, with the Brazil international opting to join the Spanish outfit instead after leaving Leeds United for a fee of around £55m.
How Raphinha could benefit Cole Palmer
Cole Palmer has found himself in a bit of a rut this second half of the season, still having 14 goals and nine assists in 39 appearances this campaign, but going without a goal for the past three months, last scoring against Bournemouth back in January.
This campaign has been very different for the 22-year-old star, often being man-marked and focused on by opposition pressing schemes, limiting his time and space on the ball.
One thing that could help to open up those alleys of space Palmer loves to operate within is the addition of more relentless runners, something the Blues have missed at points this season. This is where Raphinha comes in.
| Raphinha vs Cole Palmer in 24/25 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stats (per 90 mins) | Raphinha | Palmer |
| Goals | 0.68 | 0.39 |
| Assists | 0.48 | 0.22 |
| xG | 0.56 | 0.52 |
| xAG | 0.48 | 0.30 |
| Progressive Carries | 3.24 | 4.66 |
| Progressive Passes | 3.31 | 6.26 |
| Progressive Passes Received | 10.8 | 5.28 |
| Shots Total | 3.68 | 3.60 |
| Key Passes | 3.03 | 2.49 |
| Shot-Creating Actions | 5.49 | 5.80 |
| Successful Take-Ons | 1.61 | 1.44 |
When looking at the Brazilian’s underlying numbers alongside Chelsea’s central creator, you can see the former receives 10.8 progressive passes per 90. This is a big indicator that he is a focal point and outlet for Barcelona, often looking to penetrate the opposition’s defensive line with runs in behind.
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent’s goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
This is exactly what Palmer needs in order to stretch the spaces between the opposition’s first two lines of contact, the first being their forwards/midfielders in the pressing unit, and the second being the defensive line.
Raphinha has even been labelled as “the best player in the world” this season by Statman Dave, and his incredible willingness to be direct and run beyond is one of his key characteristics as a player. Not to mention he’s scoring by the bucket load and creating heaps of goalscoring opportunities for his teammates.
Palmer has looked at his best when linking up with Nicolas Jackson and Madueke this season, Chelsea’s two most relentless runners in the front line, willing to run in behind in order to create space for the England international.
As a result, another with Raphinha would only benefit the England international, making it harder for teams to cut off his preferred zones of space.
