Juventus and Brazil left back Alex Sandro would be an amazing addition to Chelsea, even at the cost of dislodging Marcos Alonso from the role he’s fulfilled excellently since arriving 18 months ago.
But for that to happen, Chelsea would need a) Juventus to set a reasonable price, b) Sandro to push for a move, and to c) actually submit a mid. Right now, just as it’s been the case for quite some time despite regular rumor mill action, none of those three things are happening.
The latest in confirming the status quo comes from yesterday’s Telegraph, who claim that Chelsea are unwilling to meet Juventus’ £60 million asking price for the defender, despite (or perhaps precisely because) of the landscape-shifting £75 million deal that’s taken Virgil van Dijk from Southampton to Liverpool recently. While £60 million is less that the summer’s £80 million figure, it’s still rather steep.
As frustrating as that may be for both the fans the head coach, who we’re assuming is one of the main proponents for this potential transfer, Chelsea’s reluctance fits the club’s modus operandi to focus on players who provide good value both on and off the pitch — even Álvaro Morata with his club-record transfer fee was such a case. Chelsea don’t pay over the odds these days, for better or worse.
Alternatives such as Porto’s Alex Telles and Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon are mentioned by the Telegraph and could possibly provide more realistic and less expensive backup options. The latter especially has been subject to interest from a massive list of clubs all around Europe. Neither Telles nor Sessegnon are players of Alex Sandro’s calibre, but they would be good enough to play second-fiddle to Alonso.
So if not Sandro, then one of those two? Alonso’s lack of a proper backup is the club’s most pressing need this winter, so let’s get something done!
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