Jose Mourinho was rumoured to be watching the Dynamo Kyiv winger in Ukraine last week - would the gifted 25-year-old winger provide the Blues a much needed boost?
As Jose Mourinho
was spotted with his hood up at Kiev's Olympiyskiy Stadium during
Spain's 1-0 win over hosts Ukraine, attentions turned to what exactly
the Chelsea manager was doing there and questions regarding who he was watching followed.
 |
| Yarmolenko |
In the aftermath of the Euro 2016 qualifying game, it has been
suggested Mourinho was running the rule
over Dynamo Kyiv's Andriy
Yarmolenko, with the Portuguese manager thought to be looking for a
player to bolster his attack following the poor start to the season at
Stamford Bridge.
Mourinho denied on Monday that he was at the game to watch any particular player.
"We cannot make a collection of wingers," the Chelsea manager said. But
the Blues boss has been known to shuffle his pack in January, with
Mohamed Salah and Juan Cuadrado both joining the club during winter
transfer windows.
Yarmolenko insisted that he did not know why
the former Real Madrid and Inter manager was at the Olympiyskiy Stadium,
instructing reporters to ask the 52-year-old coach themselves. And
while the Ukrainian signed a new contract with Dynamo last week, he
insisted that he is looking to move abroad at some stage, with the deal
perhaps designed to garner a higher transfer fee when he does move on.
WHAT COULD HE BRING TO CHELSEA?
Willian
has quietly impressed this season while Pedro has struggled for
consistency, but Eden Hazard, Chelsea’s player of the season in the
title-winning 2014-15 campaign, has looked out of sorts. Mourinho even
dropped the Belgium winger for the club’s 2-0 victory over Aston Villa
on Saturday, with the 24-year-old failing to hit the net in any of his
nine Premier League appearances this season, with his shooting accuracy
at a disappointing 44 per cent.
Yarmolenko offers something
different, with slightly more shooting firepower than Chelsea have
currently. Willian, Hazard and Oscar are delicately technical players,
while the Ukrainian winger is powerful, capable of bludgeoning the ball
into the net with his forceful left foot.
The Dynamo forward is
also a regular goalscorer, managing over double figures in each season
since 2010, with Willian failing to hit more than five in any campaign
so far and Hazard currently suffering from a dry spell.
The
25-year-old is also a flamboyant dribbler, capable of easily breezing
away from his marker, though that may be an ability that Chelsea’s
current wingers have in abundance.
WHERE WOULD HE FIT AT STAMFORD BRIDGE?
There is one thing that Yarmolenko possesses that is lacking in the Stamford Bridge front line - a left foot.
Mourinho’s
first Chelsea team was well stocked with left-footed attackers as Arjen
Robben and Damien Duff prospered, but following the departures of Juan
Mata, Andre Schurrle and Salah, the Premier League champions are in
short supply.
The Dynamo Kyiv winger may add more balance to
Mourinho’s attack, should the Ukrainian be fielded on his favoured right
side, allowed to cut in and unleash that powerful shot of his.
Chelsea’s usual attacking midfield unit behind their customary lone
striker features Hazard, Oscar, Willian or Pedro, four players that
favor their right foot, meaning that the addition of a left-footed
attacker could provide another test for defenders, forcing them to adapt
to the different angles that a burst inside from the right touchline
would create.
Should
Mourinho see Yarmolenko as an ideal addition to his Chelsea squad, the
Portuguese coach may have to play a waiting game. With the winger
recently penning a five-year deal, Dynamo are in no rush to sell and are
unlikely to do so in the January transfer window, with the season
already underway.
Add to that the problem of the Ukrainian
already featuring for Dynamo in the Champions League, therefore meaning
he would be ineligble to represent Chelsea in the competition this
season, and it becomes increasingly likely that any move would have to
be made in the post-season transfer window.
But with the problems mounting at Stamford Bridge, will Mourinho want to wait that long?
