Chelsea open talks over sensational £88m deal

It wasn’t a great result, but Chelsea narrowly beat Cardiff City on Tuesday night to book their place in the League Cup semi-finals.

Enzo Maresca’s side looked well off the pace throughout the first half and could have easily faced a penalty shootout were it not for some great play from Alejandro Garnacho in the 45th minute of the second half.

The Blues had a poor performance overall, but one player who once again stood out for the wrong reasons was Jamie Gittens.

The Englishman has not had a very good start to life at Chelsea and, if reports are to be believed, he could well be at risk of being replaced by one of the club’s transfer targets.

Chelsea aim to upgrade Gittens

Maresca was probably hoping that starting against Cardiff in League One would give Gittens the perfect opportunity to find form on Tuesday night.

Unfortunately, by the time he was substituted in the 66th minute, the 21-year-old looked less confident than he started.

But it’s not hard to see why, given his inability to take shots on target, create big chances or complete dribbles during his time on the pitch.

So, given performances like this one this season, and those before that, it’s not too surprising to hear that the Blues are looking for a new winger.

At least that’s according to a recent report from Caught Offside, which claims Chelsea still have a strong interest in Kenan Yildiz.

The report reveals that the West Londoners, along with Arsenal, are “leading the Premier League interest” and are looking to take advantage of the stalled contract talks with Juventus for the player.

The report further states that the Blues have established contact with the player’s camp.

The report did not mention a price, but reports earlier this year suggested it could cost around £88 million to lure the old woman into selling.

So it could be an expensive and complicated move to get over the line, but given Yildiz’s ability and potential, it’s one worth fighting for, especially as he would be a huge upgrade over Gittens.

Comparison between Yildiz and Gittens

Now, one of the advantages Yildiz has over Gittens from the get-go is positional versatility.

Unlike Chelsea’s ace, he can and has played all over the pitch, from both wings, to second striker, attacking midfield and even up top.

However, his main position is on the left wing, so his main competition for game time will be from the English player.

However, when comparing the performance of both players over the past season and a half, it is hard to call it a competition.

For example, in 52 appearances last year, the Turkish wonder player scored 12 goals and provided 9 assists. This means that on average he is involved in a goal every 2.47 games.

The former Borussia Dortmund star, on the other hand, has scored as many goals, but has provided just five assists in 49 appearances, meaning he was involved in a goal every 2.88 times.

This season has been even more one-sided.

The Regensburg-born star has made 21 appearances, averaging once every 1.75 games and being involved in 12 goals, proving his reliability. In the player’s own words, he claims that he is “considered one of the best talents in Europe.”

Meanwhile, the 21-year-old West London winger was involved in just six goals in 20 appearances, which equates to an average of one in every 3.33 games.

Finally, even if the difference in output doesn’t make it clear who is the better player, the underlying numbers will.

According to FBref, Juventus’ crown jewel comfortably leads in almost every relevant metric, including expected goals and assists without penalties, progressive passes, key passes, shot-producing actions and crosses into the penalty area, all with 90 points.

After all, Gittens could still do well, but if Bruko ends up signing Yildiz next month, his Chelsea career could be over before it really begins.