England duo Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice find themselves firmly on Chelsea’s radar, as the club search for N’Golo Kante’s long-term successor.
What’s the word?
That is according to transfer insider Dean Jones, who has informed GIVEMESPORT that the Blues are “already looking” for the 31-year-old’s replacement, with Bellingham, who is rated at £103million, and Rice, who has a price tag of around £100m, two players who have been discussed by the club.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones said: “We know Chelsea are already looking for his successor. We know that Jude Bellingham’s on the radar, Declan Rice is on the radar.
“Other people are now going to be on the radar because we’ve got new figures coming into the club.”
A duo that Potter will love
There are very few scenarios that could make up for the potential detriment to Kante’s future at Stamford Bridge.
Yet one of these rare and acceptable few would see both Bellingham and Rice in a Chelsea shirt.
The duo would be transformative to Chelsea, and in an engine room pairing, would provide the perfect balance between progression and stability. And the capture of both players would no doubt come as a welcome surprise.
Having seen Potter take charge of Chelsea for just one game, we do not yet know his preferred playstyle at Stamford Bridge.
Though, if his time at Brighton is anything to go by, we can prepare for tactical fluidity and a number of system switches, with a back three a usual feature.
A back-three system, especially in Potter’s recent usage which dips into the W-M formation, will be reliant on central players who can carry out both offensive and defensive actions equally as well.
This is where the duo come in.
Boasting an average of 6.06 progressive carries, with 2.11 of these occurring in the final third, Rice has what it takes to function in a two-man midfield and could look to build on his average of 1.73 shot-creating actions without having to prioritise the defensive side of his game.
As does Bellingham, who has shone during his time at Borussia Dortmund, having achieved 11 attacking returns in the form of three goals and eight assists across 32 Bundesliga appearances last season, despite his deployment in a deeper starting position in Edin Terzic’s 4-2-3-1 formation.
With an average of 3.05 shot-creating actions per 90, teenage sensation Bellingham is more progressive than his fellow England teammate, but it goes without saying that a combination between the two would be nothing short of sensational for Potter and co.
