Who The Hell Are You? Vol. 1: Matt Miazga
In the first edition of ‘Who The Hell Are You?’, we profile Chelsea FC signing Matt Miazga as we find out just who the hell he is.
Chelsea announced earlier today that New York Red Bulls defender Matt Miazga had joined the Blues on a four and a half year contract. Although the terms were undisclosed, reports estimated the fee at around £3.5 million. However, this deal seemingly came out of nowhere and many Chelsea fans will not be afraid to admit that they don’t know much about their new signing. This is where we come in.
Name: Matthew Miazga
DOB: 19/07/95 (20 years of age)
Nationality: American
Position: Centre-back
Matt Miazga was born in Clifton, New Jersey and joined the New York Red Bulls academy in his teens. He progressed through the ranks before making his debut for the senior team in September 2013. This substitute appearance would be his only game of the 2013 MLS campaign.
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The youngster was used sparingly in the following season, making just seven appearances for the New Jersey-based outfit. However, it was during the 2015 campaign that he shot to prominence.
Miazga appeared in 36 competitive fixtures for the Red Bulls last year, putting in some impressive performances. In fact, his displays were decent enough to earn a call-up to the senior United States national side, leading to his debut last November. This appearance ended speculation regarding him turning out for Poland, for whom he was also eligible.
His rapid development is evidently what has caught the eyes of Blues scouts. Miazga has been relatively unheralded thus far, but Chelsea appear to have seen something in the defender that others have not yet. Guus Hiddink has even stated that Miazga will be a part of the senior team for the rest of the season, playing backup instead of being shipped out on loan.
The esteem in which Blues officials hold the youngster is further underlined by the realisation that he has leapfrogged the likes of Ola Aina to break into the first-team squad.
However, while we may all believe that this deal was conjured out of thin air, there is precedent. FourFourTwo ran an article back in November of last year praising Miazga and reporting on supposed interest from Chelsea.
"According to sources, he previously received offers from Premier League sides Stoke City, Chelsea and Leicester City, but ultimately decided that playing every week for the Red Bulls is best for his development."
How does he play? Well, let’s hear it from the horse’s mouth.
"“I’m not afraid of tackling opposing players, but I also like to play with the ball. I can initiate attacks with a series of short passes and also play a long ball straight to the striker. I’m not afraid of taking those risks.”"
Sounds pretty good to me. Avid MLS watchers claimed that he was arguably the best defender in the league by the end of last season and that a move abroad was only a matter of time. They have been proven correct with this Chelsea switch and there is no doubt that Blues fans will be eager to see their new signing in action.
Miazga’s arrival should enable for more rotation at the back, with only Kurt Zouma, Gary Cahill and John Terry currently at Hiddink’s disposal. Given all the praise that has been chucked around by those who know about him, is this America’s answer to John Stones?
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Only time will tell, but after a little digging Chelsea supporters should be slightly less concerned about the prospect of Miazga turning into the next Papy Djilobodji. Blues scouts have seemingly been watching him for a while; you have to place faith in their judgement.
What do you think about the Miazga purchase? Will he be a success? Vote in the poll and share your thoughts in the comments below!