Chelsea should beat Liverpool to sign Marco Asensio
According to The Sun, Real Madrid are ready to put up Marco Asensio for sale in January for a whopping £100 million, which has put Premier League giants Chelsea and Liverpool on red alert.
Asensio was expected to be the next star at Bernabeu following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo but the 22-year-old has not been able to live up to the expectations. As a result, Madrid have decided to cash in on their prodigy in January.
Asensio has been in splendid form for Spain in the UEFA Nations League, scoring once and providing three assists in his nation’s 6-0 victory over Croatia. The 22-year-old also chipped in with an assist in Spain’s 3-2 loss against England.
A product of Mallorca’s youth system, Asensio joined Madrid back in 2014 and has made a total of 103 appearances for the Los Blancos across all competitions, where he has found the net on 22 occasions.
Both Chelsea and Liverpool have been in red-hot form this season and are yet to be beaten in the Premier League. Mohamed Salah’s clinical finish against Huddersfield Town propelled the Reds to their seventh win of the season while Ross Barkley’s 96th-minute equaliser against Manchester United ensured that the Blues continued their unbeaten run to nine games.
After finishing 5th last season, few would have expected Maurizio Sarri to turn around the club’s fortunes in such a short period of time, particularly after taking over only weeks before the start of the season.
Jurgen Klopp, on the other hand, was the highest spending manager in the Premier League in the summer transfer window. He splashed the cash to sign the likes of Alisson, Fabinho, Xherdan Shaqiri and Naby Keita, all of whom have played their part in the season.
Although both the teams boast of some exceptional talents in their ranks, they need some goal scoring midfielders to boost their chances of challenging for the title. While Eden Hazard has done the bulk of the scoring for the Blues, Liverpool’s front three has accounted for most of their goals so far this season. As the season progresses, both the teams will need their midfielders to chip in with goals to win games on a consistent basis.
And someone like Marco Asensio should be a perfect fit for both the teams in question. The versatile Spaniard can be deployed as a wide forward or a playmaker behind the striker.
Asensio is capable of playing in either side of the forward line of a 4-3-3 formation and can be a valuable asset to any team not only because he scores goals but he has also got the vision and the awareness to create goals for his teammates.
His ability to play on either side of the front three will make him a perfect fit for the Blues. Eden Hazard has stamped his authority down the left but Willian has had a poor season by his standards so far. The Brazilian has shown his usual sharpness in the final third and has tried his best to influence things with his creativity but things just haven’t worked out for the veteran. Pedro played an important role in the earlier games but was sidelined due to a shoulder injury.
Moreover, Sarri’s possession-based free-flowing football involves quick passing and subtle movement, something that should be ideal for Marco Asensio. He hasn’t got that blistering pace but he does have an excellent presence of mind and tactical awareness to make things happen in the final third.
A nimble-footed player who likes to use his dribbling skills, Asensio is equally good with his range of passing and likes to hold the ball in the wide areas, something that should make him a perfect fit for Sarri’s philosophy.
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Given that Willian and Pedro are already on the other side of 30, Chelsea need to bolster their squad with the exuberance of youth. Exuberance and quality do not always come hand in hand and that is exactly the reason why Chelsea should not have second thoughts about matching Madrid’s £100million valuation for Marco Asensio.
