On paper, Chelsea have two of the greatest left-backs from the Premier League.
In Marcos Alonso, the Blues arguably have Europe’s most productive full-back whilst Emerson Palmieri is among the most well-rounded left-backs around at the moment.
Chelsea could raise this money through the earnings of Alonso and Emerson. Internazionale are considered to be interested in the former, with Antonio Conte reportedly eager to reunite with the Spaniard.
For this reason, attentions are turned to ex-Galatasaray defender Telles.
But is Telles actually the participant Chelsea need? Whenever the Porto left-back is said, his target album usually follows closely in the dialogue. He is also chipped in with five assists.
While full-backs are anticipated to have an impact on matters in the last third, set-piece goals are not what they are after. Sustainable output is exactly what teams hold a good deal of stock by. Telles has only one open-play goal this year.
Setting that story apart, we could look at Telles as a left-back to find out if he fits the bill for Lampard.
While Emerson clearly isn’t Lampard’s perfect full-back, he’s been his first-choice this year so it is logical to check at his averages to get an idea of what’s expected.
He is surprisingly heavily involved in drama, trying 63 moves per 90 and locating a team-mate with 85.2 percent. When considering how Chelsea play under their former midfielder, the full-backs do not jump into the forefront of your mind. But Emerson is having nearly 100 touches per 90, an average, which places him over the top 15 for all Premier League full-backs.
He is fairly true on the ball, although not the most innovative, with just 30 percent of his moves going forward.
Emerson is by no way a creative force, averaging only 0.06 open-play anticipated assists per 90. His warmth map shows he sticks to the byline and is not a player tasked with choosing a pass. He is not in the top 30 for crosses tried in the Premier League and his 19 percent success rate explains, to some degree, why he is not creating many chances.
For starters, he is not as involved. The Porto guy averages 70 touches, of which 38.91 is passing. Of these, he finds a team-mate with 79.7 percent. However, he’s quite a bit more competitive when on the ball, playing 45 percent of his moves forward.
Despite his remarkable return of five assists, Telles is not much of a threat in open-play, averaging 0.08 open-play expected aids. He tries more than double the amount of crosses Emerson does but his accuracy percentage is nearly identical.
The only trait the 2 players apparently share is that they like to hug the touchline. However, if Telles is the top goal, Chelsea must believe he can play left-back for them. If he joins, it will be fascinating to see how he adapts to having much more of the ball. It may expose himas has been the case with loads of others before, or he could surprise by appearing comfortable in this role for the Blues.
But at £40million, the bargain could be a bet. There is no warranty Telles fits in with all the rigours of the Premier League and, at 27, time is not on his side to settle in over two or three years. The left-back function needs filling at Stamford Bridge but the Brazil international might not be the guy to address their mini-crisis.
