The summer transfer window has been open for over one month and Chelsea have made good use of the time, reinforcing several positions with some exciting additions.
Tosin Adarabioyo was snapped up on a free transfer after his contract expired with Fulham, Leicester City's Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has joined for a £30m fee and Marc Guiu, Omari Kellyman and Renato Veiga have been brought in to add to the youthful flair at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues are far from done, however, with further firepower being targeted to strengthen Enzo Maresca's frontline.
Chelsea in talks to sign exciting talent
As per Caught Offside, Chelsea are one of the contenders to sign Rennes starlet Desire Doue, who has recently been the subject of a failed €35m (£29m) approach from Bayern Munich.
It's believed Chelsea and Tottenham are in talks to seal a deal and now have a real chance to steal ahead and secure Doue's services, with Rennes holding out for a €50m (£42m) figure.
What Desire Doue would bring to Chelsea
Dubbing Doue an "entertainer", analyst Ben Mattinson lauded the attacking midfielder's style, technique and flair and even said he's of the mould of Jamal Musiala, Bayern star and one of the game's superlative technicians.
Chelsea actually let Musiala, 21, slip from their clutches back in 2019, before he had made a senior appearance, so his meteoric rise will rankle some; signing Doue could prove to be a vindication of sorts.
Rising through Rennes' youth ranks, Doue – who has further been dubbed a "special talent" by analyst Mattinson – has already completed 76 senior appearances, demonstrating an impressive level of fluidity and positional bendability that is reflected through his manager's trust in his skillset across numerous roles.
Left winger
16
4
4
Central midfield
10
0
1
Attacking midfield
8
3
0
Right winger
7
0
1
Centre-forward
3
1
1
He might be effective across a range of roles but Doue is principally a left-sided attacking midfielder, and with just cause. As per FBref, he ranks among the top 6% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for progressive passes, successful take-ons and interceptions, the top 15% for tackles and the top 21% for shot-creating actions per 90.
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent's goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
He's shaping into the complete player, with his 2.1 dribbles and 5.1 duels won per game in Ligue 1 last term (Sofascore) denoting his creativity and combativeness both.
Chelsea's left flank has been a point of concern under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Co, with Mykhaylo Mudryk posting 11 goal contributions from 58 matches since his £89m transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk and Raheem Sterling continuing to play solidly if unspectacularly.
Marc Cucurella has also come under fire for his performances in Chelsea blue, but after his international escapades with Spain at Euro 2024, the left-back might just have set himself on the path toward redemption, with Chelsea content creator Alex Goldberg even branding him an "awful" player.
Matches played
6
Matches started
6
Assists
1
Pass completion
90%
Big chances created
3
Key passes per game
1.2
Ball recoveries per game
3.5
Tackles per game
2.0
Clearances per game
1.7
Duels won per game
5.5 (63%)
The 25-year-old really did leave quite the mark on the continental tournament, with his steely defensive performances, mixed with a healthy dose of playmaking, providing perfect balance for the impeccable Spanish equilibrium.
Fluent and fearsome, Luis de la Fuente's side were head and shoulders above the rest, and Chelsea must now be excited by Cucurella's potential resurgence.
The £175k-per-week talent might have been below his best last term but he still ranked among the top 5% of Premier League full-backs for pass completion, the top 6% for tackles and the top 7% for blocks per 90.
With the right adjustments – and indeed Cucurella's strengths align with Maresca's ball-focused system – Chelsea could unleash a brilliant new left-flanking duo next term, with Doue's fleet-footed style effectively bolstered by the sharp distribution from behind.
Doue, in turn, is indeed emerging as one of French football's most complete young stars, especially given that he already ranks so highly for defensive metrics.
He's also not one to drive into the box with the greatest regularity, ranking among only the top 49% for touches in the attacking box per 90. This is fine. Cucurella is not the most frequent of dribblers, averaging 0.2 per top-flight game last term. He didn't complete a single ball carry at the Euros.
This will create overloads out wide, and if a central striker is adept enough in their movement and ball-striking ability, it could be a devastating weapon for the Blues to utilise – let's not forget, Cucurella is creative nonetheless and Doue still scored four goals and added four more in Ligue 1 last season, starting only 17 matches.
It's frightening to think about how deadly a winger Doue could bloom into down the line, and while he's already proved himself to be a top talent, he must choose his next step wisely as he looks to grow in stature and foster his qualities.
Chelsea has been a rather turbulent place over the past few years but it does look like there is finally light at the end of the tunnel. Doue would arrive with the promise of a chance to grow into one of the Premier League's finest.
And if Cucurella carries his international form back into the domestic scene, Maresca might just find himself wielding one of the most dynamic and deadly left-sided partnerships in the game.
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