Chelsea have been one of the busiest teams in the transfer market since Todd Boehly purchased the club. As the American businessman seeks his first trophy as a Chelsea owner, they are hungry for success. The Blues went after a lot of players in the summer but were unable to make a lot of signings. As the season continues, their interest in these players is waning and Chelsea might make a move for them in January. One such player is Ajax midfielder, Edson Alvarez. The Mexican international has shown a lot of improvement this season. He is seen as a replacement for N’Golo Kante, whose injuries have hampered his performances in recent seasons and made him miss a few games. Alvarez is rising in the ranks, and here are some of the stats that show why the player could be considered as a replacement for N’Golo Kante.
Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez has been a regular in the Ajax squad for the last two seasons. He played 38 games combined in the UEFA Champions League and the Dutch Eredivisie and was able to score five goals along with one assist. The above viz shows the defensive territory of the player from last season. Edson Alvarez featured as a defensive midfielder, but the manager used him as a makeshift defender in the team. The 24-year-old played as a centre-back and as a full-back. He averaged 23.04 duels per 90 minutes and had a 56% success rate. This shows that Alvarez has a good defensive record and can play at the back if there are any injuries to the team.
The midfielder played in a defensive line last season and hasn’t made a lot of progressive runs. This shows that Edson Alvarez likes to command from the middle and won’t offer a lot to his team with some dangerous runs to the attacking half. However, Chelsea plays with wing-backs and this could help them to provide defensive cover.
This season, Edson Alvarez averages 66.5 passes per 90 minutes and has a high accuracy rate of 91.5%. These include 9.03 passes to the final third and 1.03 passes to the penalty box. Last season, the average passes per 90 minutes was 59.86, and the accuracy rate was a bit similar. However, the passes to the final third were 7.04. There is an improvement in this department, and this is a great positive.
One of the areas where the player has been dominant is his ability to recover the ball in the attacking half. Edson Alvarez averaged 13.4 recoveries per 90 minutes last season, and 38.5% of these recoveries were made in the attacking half. This season, the recovery rate has gone down a bit to 10.32 and the player makes 43.8% of these recoveries in the attacking half. This would be an asset for Chelsea as they could capitalise on these recoveries made by the player and this could lead to goal-scoring opportunities.
Edson Alvarez isn’t afraid of taking shots on his body and made 12 blocks last season. He made three crucial blocks right in front of the goal.
The Mexican could be on his way to a new club in January or in the summer. He is one of the finest players in the Dutch league and would love to make his name in the English Premier League. Chelsea will try to sign the player in January if possible.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
