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Chelsea defensive midfielder scouting series part five: Aurelien Tchouameni

By Olaoluwa Nwobodo

REIMS, FRANCE - MAY 09: Aurelien Tchouameni of AS Monaco in action during the Ligue 1 match between Stade Reims and AS Monaco at Stade Auguste Delaune on May 9, 2021 in Reims, France. (Photo by Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images)
REIMS, FRANCE - MAY 09: Aurelien Tchouameni of AS Monaco in action during the Ligue 1 match between Stade Reims and AS Monaco at Stade Auguste Delaune on May 9, 2021 in Reims, France. (Photo by Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images) /
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Lens’ Malian defender Massadio Haidara (L) fights for the ball with Monaco’s French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni during the French L1 football match between RC Lens and AS Monaco at The Bollaert Stadium in Lens, northern France on May 23, 2021. (Photo by FRANCOIS LO PRESTI / AFP) (Photo by FRANCOIS LO PRESTI/AFP via Getty Images)
Lens’ Malian defender Massadio Haidara (L) fights for the ball with Monaco’s French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni during the French L1 football match between RC Lens and AS Monaco at The Bollaert Stadium in Lens, northern France on May 23, 2021. (Photo by FRANCOIS LO PRESTI / AFP) (Photo by FRANCOIS LO PRESTI/AFP via Getty Images) /

Passing

Tchouameni is a very good passer. He also seems to be a more effective passer. He unsurprisingly makes less passes (45.5) than Kante (53.2) per 90 in the period being analyzed. Kante seems to be a better passer of the ball though. Kante attempts 2.6 long balls per 90 at a 67 percent completion rate, compared to Tchouameni’s 2.2 long balls per 90 at a 58 percent completion rate. Mind, a 58 percent long ball accuracy in itself is very good. Tchouameni makes 5.3 progressive passes per 90, compared to Kante’s 4.7. This indicates that Tchouameni may be better at starting attacks, making him a more effective passer. 12 percent of Tchouameni’s passes are progressive, compared to eight percent of Kante’s. Tchouameni has averaged an 84 percent passing accuracy in the time under scrutiny, compared to Kante’s 87 percent. Tchouameni makes a lot fewer key passes per game (0.6) than Kante (1.2). Interestingly, Monaco’s Frenchman has created double the amount of big chances (six) than Kante (three) in the time under scrutiny, which points further to the effectiveness of his passing.

These passing numbers paint of picture of a brilliant player, who, despite getting heavily involved in defending, is also a crucial component of the team’s attack. His decisive passing has helped his team in the final third, contributing heavily to chance creation, creating the fourth-most clear cut chances for Monaco this season.

Tchouameni definitely still has a lot to learn, and would come into his prime in three or four years, but he’s already an exceptional midfielder for his age group. He would fit perfectly into Tuchel’s midfield, especially if the German decides to stick with the 3-4-2-1 formation. Like Kante, he’s such a dynamic player and it might hurt the team to just deploy him as a traditional defensive midfielder. He has played most of his Monaco games in a two-man midfield and has flourished there. His partnership with Youssef Fofana has been fruitful indeed. He can also be a potential solution to Chelsea’s lack of chance creation from central midfield.

He’s valued at €25 million according to Transfermarkt, but his fee would probably be closer to €35-40 million because of his age. The last gem Chelsea bought in central midfield was Kante, this is a perfect opportunity to secure a real diamond for now and the future.

Next. Chelsea defensive midfielder scouting series part four: Declan Rice. dark

Data collected from Transfermarkt, WhoScored, SofaScore and FBRef on May 7, 2021.

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