Why Pablo Sarabia would be an excellent addition to Chelsea’s midfield
According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea were unsuccessful in their pursuit of Sevilla star Pablo Sarabia in the January transfer window, with the 26-year-old creative midfielder refusing a transfer to the Stamford Bridge.
The same report claims that the former Real Madrid academy product has a release clause of £15.4 million, with his current contract set to expire in 2020.
Sarabia failed to make his cut into the first-team at Madrid but the Spaniard has taken his career to great heights in the La Liga and the Europa League with Sevilla. After impressing at Getafe, Sarabia completed a switch to Sevilla in 2016 and has established himself as one of Europe’s most undervalued stars, accumulating 39 goals and 35 assists from 142 appearances across all competitions.
The former Spanish youth international has been in scintillating form this season as well, scoring 19 goals and setting up another 13 from 43 appearances.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have appealed to FIFA to have their transfer ban lifted temporarily after being banned from signing new players due to a breach of regulations on 29 instances earlier in the year relating to the transfer of minors. (h/t Daily Mail). The Blues have not hit great heights in their first season under Maurizio Sarri and it is quite easy to predict that the transfer ban has come at the worst possible time for Chelsea.
Having already acquired the services of Christian Pulisic, the Blues desperately needed to add at least another creative midfielder to their ranks next summer but they would now need to rethink their stance based on the verdict of the appeal.
Well, it is a no-brainer that signing a player of Sarabia’s calibre can do a world of good to Chelsea’s rather one-dimensional and toothless midfield. The likes of N’Golo Kante, Ross Barkley, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic have all endured a tumultuous campaign while Ruben Loftus-Cheek has been used far too sparingly for anybody’s liking. Although the likes of Kante, Jorginho and Kovacic have worked hard and have moved the ball around efficiently, the vital link between the forward line and the midfield has gone missing for the most part of the season.
The departure of Cesc Fabregas has further depleted Chelsea’s creative resources in the middle of the park and a technically-gifted and tactically-versatile midfielder like Pablo Sarabia, who has a good reputation of creating chances, should be a perfect fit for Sarri’s system at Stamford Bridge. Essentially a No.10 by trade, the Spaniard is equally effective playing out wide on the left and as a pivot in the middle.
The 26-year-old is blessed with a good turn of pace and his sharpness and quality on the ball combined with his ability to move forward with short exchanges can add more substance to Chelsea’s attack. Adept at working the half-spaces, Sarabia not only has a wonderful eye for playing key passes but he is also equally good at delivering quality crosses into the box. Furthermore, he has a knack of getting into scoring positions with his agility and subtle movement off the ball, attributes that should make him a wonderful signing for the Blues.
Read More:- This £10m-rated Arsenal target would be perfect for Chelsea to provide cover and competition for Kepa Arrizabalaga
Chelsea will be hoping to have their transfer ban lifted in the summer, and should that happen, the Blues should go all out in their pursuit of the talented Spaniard once again.
