Paul Merson has urged Chelsea to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves to solve their midfield woes.
Chelsea are going through a rough patch at the moment. In their last five competitive matches, the club has registered only one win, meaning the reigning European champions are now running the risk of losing ground in the title race, as the gap between them and league leaders Manchester City has extended to six points.
Injuries have played a vital role behind Chelsea’s recent slump. Especially in the midfield department, coach Thomas Tuchel has missed out on the services of N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic during this period, either due to injuries or lack of match fitness.
The current set of midfielders has also faced criticism for their lack of ability to spray the ball around from the centre of the park. Speaking to Soccer Sunday, as relayed by Birmingham Mail, Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has doubled down on such critics, stating the Blues are indeed missing something in the middle of the park while urging the club to sign someone like Ruben Neves.
“I think Chelsea are missing a Neves. I think they’re missing a player who can spray the ball round the pitch. Kovacic likes taking players on, Jorginho won’t kick the ball further than 10 yards, just keeps it going, Kante’s an all-around-the-pitch kind of player,” said the former Arsenal midfielder.
“They’ve got no one who sprays the ball around, like a [James] Ward-Prowse or a Neves. The amount of times the other night when they made runs, the front three, where they ran and then they spun, and no one’s hitting them, no one’s hitting them,” he added.
Ruben Neves has been a hot topic in the transfer market lately, with Chelsea among other clubs, reportedly preparing a swoop for the Portuguese international in the upcoming January transfer window. The likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid and Arsenal are involved in the chase as well.
Paul Merson certainly thinks the addition of Neves could be a good idea for Chelsea: “That’s the problem for me, Chelsea need someone who’s spraying the ball about. [Kante’s] not going to hit that ball.”
Merson’s comments came just before Chelsea’s clash against Wolves, which ended in a goalless draw. Neves was among the top performers in the game as Bruno Lage’s men continued their resilient form in the Premier League.
