Chelsea transfer scouting: Four strikers remarkably similar to January target Edinson Cavani

Striking similarities: Chelsea tried to sign veteran Cavani in January
AP
Richard Parry26 March 2020

Frank Lampard’s desire to bring additional firepower to Chelsea’s attack is well-known.

With Michy Batshuayi struggling to prove his worth at Stamford Bridge, and with Olivier Giroud’s best years probably behind him, Chelsea are left with only Tammy Abraham as their main source focal point in attack.

They tried, and failed, to lure veteran forward Edinson Cavani from PSG for the final months of the season on a short-term deal, and they have so far been unsuccessful in their pursuit of former Celtic and Fulham star Moussa Dembele.

The Frenchman remains on their shortlist with Lampard having in the region of £150million to spend when the transfer window opens, while the club will also try to bring Jadon Sancho in unless Manchester United get there first.

Sancho won’t fill the void in attack, though, and would command a fee of up to £120m to sign him from Borussia Dortmund, meaning Chelsea may have to be both smart and frugal when addressing their striking needs.

With Abraham and Dembele sharing similar traits, we teamed up with professional scouting system SmarterScout to identify players with comparable characteristics with Cavani.

Here’s what we found…

Of the 52 results that came up, the young Russian was the only player who appeared twice.

Photo: REUTERS
REUTERS

The 21-year-old CSKA Moscow striker was linked with a move to Chelsea back in January and has previously been a target for both Arsenal and Crystal Palace.

Like Cavani, Chalov excels with his link-up play, receiving the ball in the box, and ball recovery.

Feder Chalov

His shooting quality statistics of 73/100 are close to Cavani’s rating of 76 while his defensive rating is far superior to the Uruguayan’s.

Edinson Cavani

All in all, it’s very impressive data for a player 12 years Cavani’s junior.

The French striker returned to Ligue 1 last summer after a three-year spell in LaLiga with Sevilla.

Photo: AFP via Getty Images
AFP via Getty Images

While, statistically, his shooting stats are much lower than Cavani’s, his link-up play and ball retention qualities show why he is one to consider.

Wissam Ben Yedder

Despite a shooting rating of just 27/100, the 29-year-old has scored 119 league goals in 253 games across his career

View from Spain – Spanish Football Correspondent, Ben Hayward

Wissam Ben Yedder will be best remembered in England for his two goals for Sevilla at Old Trafford which stunned Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United and knocked the Red Devils out of the Champions League in 2017-18.

Ben Yedder had three excellent seasons at Sevilla, scoring 18, 22 and then 30 goals before signing for Monaco last summer. He is also now a full French international, having won eight caps since his debut in 2018.

A former futsal player, the French forward of Tunisian descent is not tall but is robust and difficult to dispossess, with the ability to dribble, beat defenders and set up team-mates. He is also a confident finisher with both feet.

Monaco paid the striker’s €40m release clause last summer and he has hit 19 goals in 30 games for the Ligue 1 side so far. And while there are no buy-out clauses in French football, his value will have increased since then. One slight negative is the player’s age - he turns 30 this summer.

The Real Sociedad striker was linked with a move to Tottenham in January and was on Barcelona’s radar before the Catalan giants moved for Martin Braithwaite.

Photo: AFP via Getty Images
AFP via Getty Images

The 28-year-old Brazilian, who has scored 67 league goals during his career, boasts a higher shot rating of 70/100 compared to Ben Yedder, while his numbers for ball recovery, retention and distribution in attack compare well with Cavani’s.

Willian Jose

View from Spain – Spanish Football Correspondent, Ben Hayward

Willian Jose is similar in style terms to another former Chelsea centre-forward, Diego Costa. The Real Sociedad striker is physically powerful and holds the ball up well, is strong in the air and has a fierce right foot.

The Brazilian’s link-up play is also good, but he’s not a creator. He likes to drop deep into midfield to help start moves and then arrive in the area with good positioning. He also has decent pace and his attributes suggest he would be well suited to the Premier League.

He has scored nine goals in 30 appearances for Real Sociedad this season, but is no longer first choice at Anoeta since the emergence of Alexander Isak and was keen to leave the Basque side in the January window.

Willian Jose’s release clause is set at €70 million, but Real Sociedad were prepared to let the Brazilian join Tottenham for around €30m in January and would likely ask for a similar amount in the summer.

The Norwich City striker has scored 11 goals in 26 Premier League appearances so far this season, in what is his inaugural outing in England’s top flight.

Photo: EPA
EPA

While his ball recovery statistics are much lower than Cavani’s – to be expected perhaps from an attacking player in a struggling side – his shooting rating of 93/100 is the highest of any of the players, and 17 points higher than Cavani’s.

Teemu Pukki

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