It is no secret that Chelsea always have their eyes on the best rising talents in football. That has almost become a point of frustration for many fans as they feel that the club need more experience and proven quality if they are ever going to take the next step and become genuine challengers. Otherwise, they are bound to keep taking one step forward and then another back, like we have seen this season.
Unfortunately, it often feels like this ownership is going to continue on the path that they have chosen and see fit, whether the fans like it or not. And once again, the Blues are being linked with a talent still in his teens.
The player in question is Kees Smit. That is a name that a lot of Chelsea fans might be aware of. At 19 years of age, he has been able to establish himself as a starter for AZ Alkmaar.
As reported by The Chelsea Chronicle, Simon Phillips has claimed that the Blues are interested in signing Smit in January. Real Madrid are another club who are keen on the 19-year-old midfielder, so the club world champions are trying to act quickly.
Chelsea want to sign midfielder quickly to prevent Real Madrid hijacking deal
There is no doubt that Smit is a highly-regarded talent. And some of the underlying stats show the kind of player that he is.
Compared to his positional peers over the last 365 days, Smit is in the 96th percentile when it comes to shot-creating actions, 94th percentile in progressive carries and 91st percentile in both successful take-ons and touches in the attacking penalty area. Those numbers come from fbREF.
The defensive numbers are not impressive though. So, it feels like he would be more of a backup option for Enzo Fernandez and even Cole Palmer than the likes of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, who continues to deal with never-ending injury issues.