Tottenham Hotspur are considering making a move for Chelsea winger Kenedy, who has performed exceedingly well with Newcastle this season.
As per a report in The Northern Echo, Kenedy’s form this season has not gone unnoticed by Europe’s elite and Tottenham are expected to face competition from the likes of Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, with both sides said to be interested in the Brazilian speedster.
After making only 6 appearances for Chelsea in the first half of the season, Kenedy moved to Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle in the January transfer window and since making his debut for the Magpies in a 1-1 draw against Burnley, he has gone onto start every single one of their games.
After joining Chelsea in the summer of 2015, Kenedy went on to make only 27 appearances for the Blues across all competitions. He had a promising first season at the club and was one of the few positives in an otherwise nightmare season for the West Londoners.
He was loaned out to Watford the following season, but he only made 1 appearance the entire season for the Hornets in a campaign marred by injury. A subsequent return to Chelsea followed, where he made only 2 more appearances for Antonio Conte’s men.
The 22-year-old was expected to leave Chelsea last summer in order to see some regular minutes, but the Blues’ failure to secure a left wing-back in time, which meant that he would have to stay on at Stamford Bridge for a while. Kenedy finally got his loan move in January and he hasn’t looked back since.
In 8 appearances for Newcastle, he has scored 2 goals and registered a solitary assist. A big reason for his improvement is the faith put in him by Benitez and the fact that he gets to play in his preferred left wing position, instead of being deployed as a wing-back or a left-back.
Chelsea will undoubtedly be keeping tabs on the former Fluminense winger and monitoring his progress. His future at the club, however, will largely depend on whether Conte stays or leaves. The Blues could certainly use a fast, skillful winger like him in their squad, but being used as a defender isn’t likely to be favoured by the Brazilian any longer.
To court interest from Bayern Munich and PSG is no mean feat and in any case, the Blues will be happy to see his stock rise. It would be highly unwise to sell a player of his ability and potential to a rival like Tottenham, where Mauricio Pochettino could bring the very best out of him.
Alongside players such as Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and Harry Kane, and under the guidance of the brilliant Pochettino, the Brazilian would thrive. The Argentine has a great track record with improving youngsters and their fast, attacking style of play would suit him perfectly.
The Blues are unlikely to play Champions League football next season and that will make attracting top players infinitely harder, while Tottenham will be able to offer Kenedy just that and he wouldn’t even have to move away from London.
At 22 years of age, he would be a great long-term acquisition. After watching Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Mohamed Salah come back to haunt them, one would imagine that by now the Blues would have learnt their lesson. But for the right price, there is no telling what Chelsea would do.
