Leroy Sane links continue confusion surrounding the futures of Hudson-Odoi and Hakim Ziyech
Recent reports linking Leroy Sane to Chelsea seem to make little sense considering Chelsea's attacking depth.
Over the previous season, there has been a lot of discussion surrounding Chelsea’s depth, particularly in attacking areas, and whether or not this strength is beneficial overall. I would argue that the deeper the squad, the better it is for the club on the whole as strength and depth mean a club can compete well in all competitions.
However, the crux of squad depth is that some players will not get the minutes they want or deserve. This is currently the choppy water Tuchel is attempting to navigate.
Callum Hudson-Odoi and Hakim Ziyech are, arguably, the two players in the Chelsea squad that deserve more minutes than they are currently receiving. Nonetheless, when you have Mason Mount, one of the squad's automatic starters, and Kai Havertz, a player slowly developing into one of the world’s best, it is very difficult to displace them.
Some will argue this level of competition is good, and to a certain degree, I would support this statement. If you play at an elite club like Chelsea, you have to be performing at the optimum level in order to start. Yet, there is a fine balance between playing players who are performing at the highest standard and giving players the chance to impress in their strongest position.
This is perhaps the main reason why Callum Hudson-Odoi, towards the end of the window, wanted to leave the club on loan. A supremely gifted young player who has exceeded all expectations at youth level, a Europa League and Champions League winner, an underrated passer, and an extremely likeable character.
His chances in the first team have been sparse, to say the least. When he gets a chance, more often than not, he is played out of his strongest position as a right-wing-back or on the right-wing. For a player who has been the diamond of Chelsea and England’s youth set up, playing out of position, post-injury, is understandably frustrating.
Hakim Ziyech, whilst not being played out of position, has seen his chances in the first team slowly dwindle under Tuchel compared to Lampard. Still, Ziyech has shown his quality in key matches for Chelsea and the vast majority of fans will agree that he is certainly good enough for this Chelsea squad. Consistent reports linking Ziyech with moves away from Chelsea would suggest that the player is searching for increased game time, one can hardly blame him.
Despite the myriad of reports concerning both players, they remain at the club for this coming season. On the whole, this safeguards the squad’s quality as one injury to a starter, and either Hudson-Odoi or Ziyech can step in without an identifiable dip in quality.
It is worth remembering at this point that neither Timo Werner nor Christian Pulisic has been mentioned up to this point. Both players would walk into most top sides around Europe but remain secondary players at Chelsea. However, they are guaranteed more minutes than Ziyech and Hudson-Odoi hence why they have been omitted.
Ziyech and Hudson-Odoi’s struggle for maintained minutes makes this week’s reports linking Chelsea with Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sane all the more baffling. Seemingly, the attacking area is the one section of the Chelsea squad that does not need adding to.
Saul, having come in on deadline day, has added to Chelsea’s midfield depth but it remains unclear at this point whether he will be considered a viable club target or whether he will reenact the Felipe Luis role of the late Jose era. Equally, every defender apart from Reece James and Ben Chilwell has two or fewer years on their remaining contracts, hence the desire to sign Kounde. Perhaps these areas would be of greater consideration than adding further attacking depth.
If Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ziyech were to leave Chelsea then I would have an easier time understanding the links between Chelsea and Sane. Let us not forget that at Manchester City, Leroy Sane contributed to 84 goals and assists in 135 games, winning two Premier League titles, two League Cups, two Community Shields, and an FA Cup. On top of that Leroy Sane also won the 2017/18 Young Player of the Season Award, so the pedigree is there.
His time at Bayern Munich has not been as smooth as anticipated. His high wages have disrupted Bayern’s wage structure, and it just seems as though the fit is slightly off. His Bayern career is like listening to a guitar with one string out of tune, the melody is almost there but something is slightly off.
Despite irregular starts, Leroy Sane has still contributed to 26 goals and assists in 49 games as of the time of writing. Therefore, his quality cannot be questioned, it is more the necessity of signing him that is questionable.
If Callum Hudson-Odoi and Hakim Ziyech ended up leaving the club, then this move would make some sense. Even then, I wouldn’t expect Sane to be a regular starter over Mason Mount or Kai Havertz, so he would remain in the secondary pot alongside Timo Werner and Christian Pulisic.
The signing of Leroy Sane will remain another strain in the pantheon of confusing transfer rumours until the blurred futures of Hudson-Odoi and Hakim Ziyech are clarified. If they leave, then the Leroy Sane links make sense to some degree, if they stay, then there is no need.
Jai Mcintosh
Leroy Sane links continue confusion surrounding the futures of Hudson-Odoi and Hakim Ziyech
Great read !