Any major international tournament is a great opportunity to discover lesser-known stars of the footballing world. This has been especially true in recent times, exemplified by the 2014 World Cup, during which the world was introduced to James Rodriguez, and Euro 2016 when Renato Sanches became a household name and earned himself a big-money move to Bayern Munich. So far, through the group stage of this summer’s European Championships, a number of unrecognized talents have already been incredibly impressive.
This is good news for Chelsea, a team that, despite winning the Champions League barely a month ago, looks to be in a state of flux. Multiple players will be moving on from the club, although most of the consistent starters will be hanging around Stamford Bridge for the time being. This means that the replacements need to be comfortable with a limited role in west London, thus reducing the pool of potential recruits. For this reason, the Blues should target some of Euro 2020’s breakout performers who can be had for a relative bargain.
Here are five stars of Euro 2020 that Chelsea should go after during the summer transfer window:
1. Manuel Locatelli, Italy, Sassuolo
This name will be familiar to those Chelsea supporters who follow Serie A closely, as Locatelli has been known as one of the league’s most promising midfielders for some time now. He debuted for AC Milan at only 18-years-old, but never solidified a place in the Rossoneri squad. Since his move to Sassuolo in the summer of 2018, though, Locatelli has been a dominant force in the Italian top flight.
The Azzurri’s No. 5 really took the world by storm during the second match of the group stage against Switzerland, during which he scored two goals and earned Star of the Match honors. He also played a huge part in dictating the tempo of the game alongside Jorginho and Inter Milan’s Nico Barella, completing 92 percent of his passes and making 15 pressures. Italy’s midfield has arguably been the most effective group of players on any team in the tournament so far, and Locatelli is a large reason why.
The 23-year-old’s play is definitely not a fluke if his performances during recent seasons in Serie A are anything to go by. He started 32 of Sassuolo’s 34 matches in 2020-21, scoring four goals and adding an additional two assists en route to an eighth place finish in the league, an astonishing accomplishment for a club that had its inaugural season in the Italian first division only eight years ago.
In terms of his fit with Chelsea, Locatelli can play in a midfield duo or trio and would likely be the long-term replacement for his compatriot, Jorginho. He is most effective as a deep-lying midfielder who can distribute balls over the top to forwards making runs towards the goal, but has shown he can also succeed in a box-to-box role with his national team recently. Thomas Tuchel would certainly value Locatelli’s versatility, especially considering his potential for development.
The Blues will have to move quickly if they want to secure Locatelli’s signature, though, as a number of other top European sides look to be interested. The biggest threat, as is always the case with exciting Italian prospects, is the Old Lady of Turin, Juventus, who are reportedly preparing a player plus cash bid and have been in contact with Locatelli’s agent. Nothing has been made official yet, but the Sassuolo man looks to be a generational talent that Chelsea will not want to miss out on.
2. Patrik Schick, Czech Republic, Bayer Leverkusen
Schick made a grand entrance to Euro 2020 by scoring what has arguably been the goal of the tournament so far against Scotland in the Czech’s first group stage match. He scored once more against the Scots and again in the following game versus Croatia, solidifying himself as a serious threat in the opponent’s penalty area and one of the top target men in the tournament. If Chelsea is in need of a cut-price striker to lead the line, then Schick is an intriguing option.
At 6’3″, Schick would be seen as a like-for-like replacement for Olivier Giroud, who looks to be leaving Stamford Bridge for the San Siro imminently despite triggering a contract extension until 2022 in April. In terms of production, the two players were remarkably similar in 2020-21 as well. Giroud tallied 11 goals in 31 total appearances for the Blues this past season, while Schick scored 13 in 36 as a member of Bayer Leverkusen. His audacious effort from the halfway line against Scotland also points to another parallel with Giroud; a penchant for dramatic goals.
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Signing Schick would definitely be a gamble for Chelsea, as he has never been fully convincing as a team’s primary goal scorer. His stint with Roma was particularly disastrous, scoring a mere eight goals in 58 appearances, although this low return was mostly due to mismanagement and a lack of service from his teammates. Tuchel would surely be able to get the best out of Schick, but the Blues’ recent inability to sign a consistent No. 9 makes me nervous that this move could be destined to fail.
One factor that should excite Chelsea fans about the prospect of bringing the Czech international to west London is his relationship with Timo Werner. He and Schick formed a formidable strike partnership at RB Leipzig during the 2019-20 season when the two combined to score 38 Bundesliga goals. Werner’s incredible knack for finding space behind the opposition’s back line paired well with Schick’s physical play and passing ability, which was crucial in Leipzig’s march to the UCL semi-finals. There is no guarantee that a reunion would revitalize Werner’s finishing, but his connection with the big man clearly benefited his goal tally.
It is, however, unlikely that Schick leaves Leverkusen after only one campaign with the club. The Bundesliga’s sixth place finishers scored fewer goals than any other German side that qualified for European competition, and losing Schick would only exacerbate the issue. Chelsea fans would probably be disappointed with the signing as well, especially since the club has been linked with world-class strikers such as Erling Haaland in recent weeks.
3. Stefan Lainer, Austria, Borussia Monchengladbach
As is generally the case with Austrian sides that have qualified for recent major international tournaments, the sum of the whole has been greater than its parts during Euro 2020. Few names stand out on the squad list, but a well-organized defense and strong mentality have propelled Austria into the Round of 16, where the team will unfortunately face Italy, who looks to be the favorite after allowing zero goals during the group stage. Still, there have been many bright spots for Group C’s runners-up, one of which is right wing-back Stefan Lainer.
Lainer’s importance to Austria is demonstrated by the fact that he has played every single minute of Euro 2020 so far. He was an iron man for his club, Borussia Monchengladbach, as well this past season, having taken part in 33 of 34 Bundesliga matches and all eight Champions League contests. Lainer’s durability, hard-headedness, and defensive excellence have never been in question, but the past few matches have revealed an attacking ability that the 28-year-old has rarely shown before. The biggest example came during Austria’s opening match against North Macedonia, in which Lainer scored a sensational cross from Marcel Sabitzer with an incredibly acrobatic stretch at the back post.
As is the case with Schick, Lainer would likely be looked at as a second option in the eyes of many Chelsea supporters because of the team’s links with Achraf Hakimi over the past few weeks. The Moroccan international appears set to join Paris Saint-Germain, though, so the Blues will need to identify other potential defensive recruits quickly. Given Lainer’s age and relative anonymity, his price tag would certainly be lower than the reported €80 million that Inter is demanding for Hakimi, which is not the worst thing if Abramovich is really going to cough up well over €100 million to bring Haaland to the Bridge.
Lainer’s versatility is also an underrated aspect of his game. He prefers to play as a wing-back, as he does with Austria, but is more than capable as a right fullback in a back four and has been deployed as a right-sided center back in a back three at times as well. His style of play is actually reminiscent of a young Cesar Azpilicueta, although he provides more pace than the Spaniard ever did. His professional attitude and lack of ego are also similar to the skipper’s, so he would be a welcome addition to the dressing room.
4. Denzel Dumfries, Netherlands, PSV
Dumfries is another quality wing-back who has made a real breakthrough at this summer’s European Championships. He has spent all of his early years in the Eredivisie so far but is looking for a big-money move to one of the continent’s elite teams as he enters the prime of his career. Seeing as the Hakimi dream is all but over, the Dutchman is a fantastic alternative with a very similar playing style as the Moroccan international.
Many Chelsea supporters will know about Dumfries from playing FIFA, as he consistently has a fun, and surprisingly accurate, card with lots of pace and physicality. The PSV Eindhoven man is incredibly quick and can have a massive impact on any match he takes part in both offensively and defensively. Albeit against weaker opposition in the Dutch top flight, Dumfries has proven to be capable as a marauding wing-back that can steal the ball, make a lung-busting run down the sideline, and send in a teasing cross with pinpoint accuracy, all in the span of about 30 seconds.
Dumfries is exactly the kind of player that would thrive in Tuchel’s 3-4-3 system and provides some of the same qualities that Hakimi brings to the table. Chelsea fan accounts on Twitter were postulating that the Inter starlet’s arrival would necessitate Reece James playing right center back in the team’s back three, and Dumfries moving to west London would probably do the same. He and James would be particularly dangerous against teams that employ a high press, like Manchester City, as both players love to get forward on the counter.
The Dutch No. 22’s ability to create goal-scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates from the wing-back position has long been his calling card with PSV. Since his arrival to the club in 2018-19, Dumfries has 28 league goal contributions, including six assists this past season, which was second-most on his team. Few other defenders in the world have been as effective in attack as the 25-year-old, and his two goals so far in Euro 2020 have only confirmed this fact.
Chelsea will not be the only team vying for Dumfries’ signature, though. Many of the Blues’ competitors in next season’s Champions League are looking to buy the Netherlands international, as PSV’s relatively low asking price will not scare off the traditionally big spenders who were negatively affected by the pandemic. Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Inter have all been linked with Dumfries in the past few days, and his agent, the infamous Mino Raiola, has been pushing to get a move done sooner rather than later. Chelsea will need to act fast if they want to secure what is sure to be one of the best bargain signings of the summer.
5. Lucas Hernandez, France, Bayern Munich
I must admit that selecting Hernandez for this list was slightly self-indulgent, as I have been a massive fan of his since his days at Atletico Madrid. Additionally, some might find it strange that the former most expensive defender in football history would be included as a cut-price option for Chelsea. Regardless of these caveats, Hernandez has proven himself to be an extremely valuable commodity for Les Bleus so far during the European Championships and could be a surprising departure from Bayern Munich this summer.
Some fans of the French national team raised an eyebrow at Hernandez representing his country at Euro 2020 because of his lack of playing time in the German capital. However, few can be surprised that his diminished role with Bayern coincided with Alphonso Davies’ rise to global superstardom and a period of poor fitness. Now, though, Hernandez has rediscovered his top form and will likely be discontent with only a reserve spot at the Allianz Arena.
Signing Hernandez would only make sense for Chelsea if some of the team’s underutilized players move on, specifically the left-footed defenders who were displaced by Ben Chilwell’s arrival from Leicester City before the season. Both Marcos Alonso and Emerson have been tipped for moves away from Stamford Bridge recently, with Alonso reportedly even being offered to Inter Milan as part of a player-plus-cash swap for Hakimi. If these two players end up leaving the club, they will need to be replaced, despite the fact that they did not contribute much towards the end of their Chelsea careers.
In terms of his fit within the squad, Hernandez’s left-footedness and versatility set him apart from the team’s other defenders. He has been successful as a center back and fullback, although many of his recent appearances for both club and country have been made on the left side of a back four. His performance against Germany displayed his potential to play as an attacking wing-back, though, as he made 34 successful carries, completed 83 percent of his passes, and sent in the cross that led to Mats Hummels’ decisive own goal. Hernandez’s defensive instincts are also significantly better than Chilwell’s, so the Englishman’s positioning mistakes that oftentimes led to counters down Chelsea’s left flank would likely be eliminated.
The biggest impediment to this deal being done is undoubtedly Hernandez’s price tag. After spending around €80 million on the France international only two seasons ago, Bayern would be incredibly reluctant to accept an offer much lower than that. However, the general abundance of talent in Bayern’s squad, along with Dayot Upamecano’s signing from RB Leipzig and Niklas Sule’s return from a long-term injury, make Hernandez almost obsolete. If the German champions decide to cut their losses and recoup some of the record-breaking transfer fee Chelsea would be wise to at least enquire about Hernandez’s availability.
Who would you like to see in a Chelsea shirt after the group stage? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!