Home » Article » Marcos Alonso vs €50m Blues target – Stats show that Chelsea should avoid signing the latter

Marcos Alonso vs €50m Blues target – Stats show that Chelsea should avoid signing the latter

A report from The Metro has claimed that Elseid Hysaj could be one of incoming Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri’s prime targets this summer.

After a lacklustre season as the defending champions, the Blues finished 5th in the Premier League and will have to settle with Europa League football next term. Hence, Chelsea’s pursuit of a new manager to replace Antonio Conte is understandable and Sarri does seem like an attractive option, given his exploits with Napoli last season.

And Sarri, who worked with Hysaj at Napoli, wants to bring the defender to Stamford Bridge this summer. The report further claims that Hysaj has a release clause in the region of €50m. A full-back by trade, Hysaj is equally adept at playing on both sides of the backline. However, over the course of the previous term, he was utilised predominantly as a right-back by Sarri.

Chelsea currently have the likes of Victor Moses, Marcos Alonso, Emerson Palmieri and Davide Zappacosta as their full-back options. However, Zappacosta a difficult debut season with the Blues and the club could sign Hysaj with a view to strengthening their depth ahead of the new season.

Alonso is one of the best defenders at Chelsea and he is the epitome of a modern-day full-back. But how do his stats compare to those of Hysaj? Let’s take a look.

Marcos Alonso vs Elseid Hysaj stats

In 45 appearances across all competitions last season, Alonso scored 8 goals and provided 3 assists. Despite being a defender, he averaged 1.9 shots per game with a pass success rate of 79.5%. He won about 1.9 aerial battles per game and averaged 1.6 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 1.7 clearances per game. Additionally, he also created 29 chances in 33 Premier League games, which is quite impressive.

Meanwhile, Hysaj also appeared 45 times in all competitions for Napoli in the 2017/18 campaign but he failed to score a single goal. He chipped in with one assist but the fact that he averaged just 0.3 shots per game makes it clear that the Albanian is not very comfortable going forward.

His pass success rate stood at 86.7% and he won 1.1 aerial duels per game. As far as his defensive work is concerned, the 24-year-old averaged 1.8 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 1.6 clearances per game.

Verdict

Well, as one can see, the numbers speak for themselves. Hysaj is not a bad defender but nowadays, most managers expect their full-backs to advance forward and aid in attacks.

Alonso does that admirably well but it is clear from Hysaj’s stats that he needs to work on that aspect of his game. Hence, for a fee of €50m, the Blues can find better options than Hysaj.