Chelsea have shown plenty of resilience following their recent 5-0 drubbing against Arsenal, securing a comeback draw against Aston Villa before defeating rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 to bolster their European credentials.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side now occupy eighth spot in the Premier League table, just three points behind Manchester United with three matches to go.
The fact they are still in contention for a European berth considering they are going through a major injury crisis is impressive and there is no doubt that, with a fully functional team, Chelsea would be sitting a lot higher in the table.
There could be a high turnaround of players this summer as the Argentinian manager looks to move a few players on in order to comply with financial fair play regulations, which could see several players being sold.
A few areas of his team might need to be strengthened, however, and it appears Pochettino is targeting a player who is currently playing in the Premier League…
Chelsea transfer news
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, it looks as though Chelsea have an eye on Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo ahead of the summer transfer window.
“Understand Chelsea as well as Newcastle are among clubs informed on conditions of the deal to sign Tosin Adarabioyo as free agent,” said Romano on X.
“Several clubs are asking for conditions of potential free signing, but no formal proposal made. Tosin will take his time to decide his future.”
The towering defender could be a decent acquisition for the Blues, especially considering he will cost them nothing in the way of a transfer fee, with just a matter of months left on his existing deal.
The Stamford Bridge side will lose Thiago Silva at the end of the season as the Brazilian bids farewell to the club upon the expiration of his contract, hence the need to strengthen their defensive ranks.
Thiago Silva’s Chelsea statistics
The Brazilian arrived in London in 2020 on a free transfer having spent eight seasons at Paris Saint-Germain, winning everything that was on offer in the French capital, domestically anyway.
The Champions League title had alluded him during his spells in France and with AC Milan in Italy, but nobody expected his triumph in Europe’s premier club competition to come during a spell with Chelsea.
He featured eight times in the competition as Chelsea defeated Manchester City in the final, while making 151 appearances overall for the club at the time of writing. This is made even more impressive considering he will be 40 in September.
Despite their relatively poor season, Silva is currently highest-ranked defender in the squad with regard to his overall Sofascore rating (7.05), while he even ranks first for accurate passes per game (71.5), second for accurate long balls per game (3.3) and first for clearances per game (4.5), proving he can still perform at the highest level during his Indian summer.
Pass success rate
95%
Total duels won per game
3
Possession lost per game
4.4
Tackles per game
1
Clearances per game
4.5
There is no doubt he will be missed, but it gives Pochettino the licence to get his massive wages off the bill and bring in someone younger with a chance of selling them on for a profit in a few years.
Step forward Adarabioyo.
Tosin Adarabioyo’s statistics this season for Fulham
Previously on the books at Manchester City, the 26-year-old managed to feature just eight times for the senior side before leaving to join Fulham in 2020 on a permanent deal after loan spells with West Bromwich Albion and Blackburn Rovers.
At the time of writing, the Englishman has played 132 games for the Cottagers and scored five times in that spell, emerging as a key player as the club have firmly established themselves in the top flight.
Like Silva, Adarabioyo’s strength lies in passing, as he currently ranks third among his teammates for accurate passes per game in the Premier League (51.3) while also ranking second for accurate long passes per game (3.6), indicating that his distribution is excellent in comparison to the rest of the squad.
The 6 foot 5 titan is also solid in one-on-one situations and in the air. Not only has he won 53% of his ground duels contested per game this season, but the centre-back has won 2.9 aerial duels per match – a success rate of 67% – demonstrating how good he is in the air.
The defender has also showcased his abilities going forward over the previous 365 days. When compared to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues, Adarabioyo ranks in the top 7% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90 (1.55) and for assists per 90 (0.96) while also ranking in the top 16% for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.09), certainly suggesting that he would be a wise investment for Pochettino to pick up, especially on a free transfer.
He isn’t the big name signing that many of the supporters will expect, but this strategy has failed to really pay off in the past as the club have failed to win a trophy since 2021.
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Chelsea surely won't be able to continue splashing millions of pounds on players, especially if they fail to secure European football. While the club has plenty of exciting youth players in the squad, some experience is required in order for them to secure a top-four finish once again.
Luring Adarabioyo to the Blues could allow Pochettino to save some transfer funds for players in other areas, while his experience in the top flight will be a welcome boost to the club.
Their final four games are against West Ham United, Nottingham Forest, Brighton, and Bournemouth. With the confidence gained from defeating Spurs, there is no reason to say why the club cannot secure at least ten points from 12 across this run.
Achieving that will put them in the best possible position to return to Europe next season, and it will give Pochettino a massive boost heading into the summer.