da betobet： Chelsea came into this season on the back of an impressive pre-season campaign and with an element of hope that, with new boss Mauricio Pochettino, they could fight their way back into the European places come May.
da dobrowin： However, with 16 games of the Premier League season already played – almost half – the Blues are once again in the bottom half of the table, and based on performances, rightly so.
That said, injuries haven't helped the young side, especially in the case of club captain Reece James, who had to come off against Everton on the weekend and is now set to spend a second spell on the sidelines this season.
While his absence will undoubtedly cause more headaches for Pochettino, there is some good news, as the latest player linked with Stamford Bridge could even replace the Cobham graduate altogether – Denzel Dumfries.
Chelsea transfer news – Denzel Dumfries
According to Italian outlet Calciomercatio, Inter Milan star Dumfries has courted the attention of Premier League sides Chelsea and Manchester United, with both teams keen on signing the player in 2024.
The interest of United is undoubtedly one of the barriers that the Blues will have to overcome if they want to sign the Dutchman, but the other is the price, as according to Calciomercato.IT, the Nerazzurri will not sell their player for anything less than €40m – which works out to about £35m.
It would represent another sizeable investment from Todd Boehly and co, though with how well the "monster", as described by journalist Alan Rzepa, has performed in Italy and the uncertainty surrounding James' fitness, it would likely be worth it.
Denzel Dumfries could replace Reece James and Malo Gusto
Now, James is obviously an enormous talent and widely considered one of the best right-backs in world football, but if he can't stay fit for more than a couple of months, then Chelsea simply can not benefit from his talent.
Since making his debut for the Blues in September 2019, the "world-class" 24-year-old, as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has suffered 17 injuries – not including the latest one – which have made him miss a combined 463 days of action and 89 games for club and country, per Transfermarkt.
With a record such as that, the chance of James following a career trajectory similar to Jack Wilshere, another uber-talented youngster, is worryingly high. And with Malo Gusto – who is also currently sidelined – not exactly tearing up trees this year, it could be time for the club to look at another long-term solution at right-back.
When comparing the trios' underlying numbers, Dumfries simply has to measure up well with the Chelsea captain; if he can be 75% of the player 100% of the time, it will be more useful to Pochettino.
Unsurprisingly, there are some areas in which the former Wigan loanee comes out on top, such as tackles won and non-penalty expected goals and assists. However, the Serie A defender comes out ahead in plenty of other areas.
Stat (per 90)
Dumfries
James
Gusto
Non-Penalty Expected Goals
0.11
0.07
0.05
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.37
0.41
0.15
Red Cards
0.00
0.17
0.23
Shots on Target
0.29
0.23
0.00
Crosses into the Penalty Area
0.78
0.70
0.17
Goal-Creating Actions
0.48
0.46
0.50
Blocks
1.17
0.93
1.17
Tackles Won
0.87
1.86
1.17
Aerial Duels Won
1.84
1.63
0.50
Errors Leading to Goals
0.00
0.23
0.00
All Stats via FBref for the 2023/24 Domestic Season
Ultimately, for as fantastic as James is, and for as outrageously high as his potential might be, the fact that he can't seem to string a run of games together at age 24 should be – and probably is – ringing alarm bells at Chelsea.
For the reasonable fee of around £35m, the two-time European champions should strongly consider signing Dumfries as he would be a more than adequate player to play in James' place and potentially instead of him if the injuries remain a problem.