The Pride of London
Fansided

2 Attackers Chelsea should sign ahead of 2023/24 season

By Olaoluwa Nwobodo

(Chelsea target) Rayan Cherki of Lyon during the Ligue 1 Uber Eats match between Olympique Lyonnais (OL) and Olympique de Marseille (OM) at Groupama Stadium on April 23, 2023 in Lyon, France. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
(Chelsea target) Rayan Cherki of Lyon during the Ligue 1 Uber Eats match between Olympique Lyonnais (OL) and Olympique de Marseille (OM) at Groupama Stadium on April 23, 2023 in Lyon, France. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
Rayan Cherki of France Under 21s during the international friendly between England Under 21s and France Under 21s at The King Power Stadium on March 25, 2023 in Leicester, England. (Photo by James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images)
Rayan Cherki of France Under 21s during the international friendly between England Under 21s and France Under 21s at The King Power Stadium on March 25, 2023 in Leicester, England. (Photo by James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images) /

Chelsea should consider Rayan Cherki, an attacking midfielder of Olympique Lyon, France

The more you learn about Cherki, the more you love him. At just 19 years old, he already has 102 senior appearances for Lyon. 100+ senior appearances at 19 tell you everything you need to know about the youngster. Cherki has many qualities currently lacking at the west London club. Having only started 21 league games for the Ligue 1 side in the just concluded season and making 34 appearances in total, the Frenchman created 14 big chances, good enough to rank him joint 6th in the league. He also gathered 9.03 expected assists (xA), the highest amongst Lyon players, and 6th highest in the whole league.

14 big chances created would be double the number of big chances Chelsea’s highest big chance creator (Sterling) managed, and also double the big chances per 90. Cherki is not a high-volume shooter, so he manages 1.8 shots per game, but scored four goals and managed six assists in the league season. These aren’t the only interesting things about Cherki, he also ranks high in several other key attacking metrics:

According to FBRef, in the 2022/23 season, amongst attacking midfielders/wingers in Europe’s top five leagues with the Champions League and Europa League included, Cherki ranks in the 95th percentile or better in passes into the penalty area per 90 (2.9), through balls per 90 (0.63), Shot-Creating Actions (SCAs) from live passes per 90 (3.89), Goal-Creating Actions (GCAs) from live passes per 90 (0.58) and successful take-ons per 90 (3.8).

The Lyon youngster also ranks in the 82nd percentile for the percentage of successful take-ons per 90 (50%). These outrageous numbers indicate that Cherki is operating at an extremely high level in many facets of attacking play.

He is clearly a top player, decision-making-wise, often choosing whatever actions help the team the most in any given situation. His decision-making and execution are top of the line. He also ranks in the 96th percentile or better for carries into the penalty area per 90 (2.93), xA per 90 (0.43), and chances created per 90 (3.2).

It cannot be overemphasized how good this kid is. He could play anywhere behind the striker for Chelsea as a central attacking midfielder, left winger, or right winger, as the youngster uses both feet comfortably. He would be a lot more effective than Madueke on the right, and using him in the No. 10 role means Nkunku can be used in the No.9 role. The possibilities are endless!

Home/Chelsea FC Depth Chart