All of the midfielders we’ve discussed in this series thus far are already playing in the Premier League. This gives them a slight advantage, as they’d be playing in the same environment—but with different teammates—if they were to move to Chelsea. However we cannot ignore players playing in other leagues because many of the players who have written their names in the history books of the Premier League were bought from other leagues. In part four, we discussed West Ham key man, Declan Rice. In this part, we’d be discussing a multitalented, all-action central defensive minded midfielder, AS Monaco’s Aurelien Tchouameni.
Tchouameni is more of a box-to-box midfielder than he is a pure defensive midfielder, but he exhibits almost everything you’d want in either role. Tchouameni might be the perfect piece to slot into Thomas Tuchel’s 3-4-3 formation. His work rate off the ball and his actions on it show that he’s the perfect central midfielder for Chelsea. His pressing, ball movement and decisive passes indicate that he’d be just as useful in the defensive, offensive and middle thirds of the pitch.
Tchouameni works hard to deny opponents off the ball, but he is also a goal threat. He looks to distribute the ball effectively when in possession, and he’s a competent enough dribbler to get past opponents when he needs to. He has been an important figure in Monaco’s midfield this season. A testament to Tchouameni’s influence is the fact that he’s started—and played—34 out of 36 league games for Monaco this season. His performances helped Les Monegasques to a third place finish in League 1, just five points behind the title winners, Lille. WhoScored has the Frenchman as the third best performing player and SofaScore has him as the best. This is impressive as Tchouameni has only scored two goals and assisted three, so those ratings are not heavily influenced by goal involvements.
We scrutinize Tchouameni’s numbers over the past two seasons and compare them with Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante (you know the drill). It is important to note that Tchouameni spent most of his playing time last season with Ligue 1 side Bordeaux.
Play style
Tchouameni currently plays in a high pressing team and contributes heavily to said press. He looks to close down opposing players and start attacks by distributing the ball to forward players as quickly as possible (which is most competent midfielders or defensive midfielders anyway). Monaco’s pressing has been so good that it ranks third for successful pressures in Ligue 1, and ranks first for percentage of successful pressures. That’s impressive, especially for a Monaco team that is not a defensive one. Les Monegasques are very much possession-oriented, though not to Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain levels.
Monaco has managed 54.3 percent possession on average this season, compared Chelsea’s 58.4 percent. Tchouameni’s team(s) have had an average possession of 54 percent since the beginning of last season. Kante’s team has had 58 percent in that time. Tchouameni has averaged 18.6 pressures per 90 since the beginning of last season, winning 6.5 of them per 90. Kante averages more pressures (21.5) and more successful pressures (7.2). Interestingly, Tchouameni (34.9 percent) has a better success rate in presses than Kante (33.5 percent).
Kante makes more progressive carries (5.4) compared to Tchouameni’s 4.4. This might be due to the fact that the Chelsea man gets more of the ball by playing in a more possession-based side. Tchouameni is also alert, though he comes second best in this category, as he makes 11.3 recoveries per game (picking up loose balls). Kante makes 13.5. Tchouameni is just 21 years old, but he already knows how to conduct himself in a high pressing side to achieve the maximum effectiveness. This is encouraging, as he would need to keep up this work rate in a much more intense league, like the Premier League.
Defensive actions
Tchouameni has recorded a healthy proportion of defensive actions for someone who plays in a relatively possession-oriented side. He has recorded 4.4 tackles plus interceptions since the beginning of last season. For comparison, Kante has recorded 5.2. Tchouameni actually leads Monaco this season in tackles and interceptions, and he’s not even a sitting defensive midfielder. He’s been dribbled past more than Kante per 90 in the time under scrutiny, 1.1 to 1.4. That may be due him contesting more ground duels, as you’ll likely be dribbled past often if you get into these contests a lot. It is worth it too, as the Monaco man has won 5.7 ground duels per 90 at a success rate of 57 percent, compared to Kante’s 4.4 at a success rate of 49 percent in the time under scrutiny.
Tchouameni is obviously better at winning ground duels. He wins more, despite attempting more, at a higher success rate. Tchouameni has a size advantage on Kante though, as he weighs 80 kg rising to 185 cm, compared to Kante’s 68 kg rising to 168 cm. It’s not surprising that Tchouameni would have a considerable advantage over Kante in ground duels. Tchouameni, if nothing else, knows how to use his strengths to his advantage. Tchouameni blocks more shots per 90 (0.3) than Kante (0.2), but makes slightly fewer clearances per 90 (1.3) compared to Kante (1.4). Kante and Tchouameni concede the same amount of fouls (1.9), though the latter wins more tackles than Kante. Tchouameni wins significantly more fouls (1.8) than Kante (0.4), all per 90. Tchouameni seems to have overall better ball skills than Kante, losing the ball on average 11.6 times per 90, compared to Kante’s 13.2.
Tchouameni is clearly defensive aware, and likely the best defensive-minded midfielder at the club. He would fit right in at Chelsea, and would be perfect to partner Chelsea’s other central midfielders, as he offers many things they don’t.
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.
Data collected from Transfermarkt, WhoScored, SofaScore and FBRef on May 7, 2021.