Chelsea struck gold signing "world-class" star worth more than Fermin Lopez
da dobrowin： It’s been an odd summer for Chelsea this year, as, on the one hand, they made a whole host of exciting signings as they tend to do every year.
da brdice： Yet, on the other hand, they came out of the window in profit from the astounding number of players sold and moved on.
However, even with the amount of money brought in, the Pensioners ultimately decided against signing Barcelona’s tremendously exciting Fermin Lopez.
Fortunately, the Enzo Maresca still has an abundance of talent in the squad, including one player worth millions more than the 22-year-old.
Chelsea's pursuit of Lopez
In part thanks to the Club World Cup, Chelsea actually completed the bulk of their most pressing transfers early on in the window this year.
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For example, the likes of Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens and Dario Essugo all put pen to paper prior to the victory over Paris Saint-Germain, and then Jorrel Hato did the same in early August.
However, with money to spend and a desire to further improve the side, the Blues looked to make more signings late in the window, and while they secured Alejandro Garnacho and Facundo Buonanotte, it wasn’t to be for Lopez.
It wasn’t through lack of trying, though, at least to begin with, as numerous reports late on in the window made it quite clear that the club had been in contact with the player, with some even claiming they were keen for him to push for a move.
Yet, with some stating he could have cost as much as £78m, perhaps it was for the best that Chelsea ultimately opted against signing him, especially when they’ve already got a star in the squad worth millions more than him.
The Chelsea player worth millions more than Lopez
Thanks to Chelsea’s ability to spot talent and their willingness to go out and sign it, Maresca has an array of brilliant players in his squad.
Yet, when it comes to the most exciting star, the one who fans are desperate to watch, it’s impossible to look past Cole Palmer.
The England international has been a tour de force since his move to Stamford Bridge two years ago, and his valuation reflects that.
For example, the CIES Football Observatory value him at up to a staggering €153m, which works out to around £133m, or £55m more than Barça reportedly wanted for Lopez.
It’s an extraordinary amount of money, but it’s not hard to see why the 23-year-old is worth so much, as he has been unreal for the Blues.
In 98 appearances for the club, totalling 7950 minutes, the “world-class” superstar, as dubbed by Pat Nevin, scored 43 goals and provided 29 assists.
That means he’s averaged a goal involvement every 1.36 games, or every 110.41 minutes, which is utterly superb.
In contrast, the El Campillo-born prospect has scored 19 goals and provided 11 assists in 90 appearances, totalling 4013 minutes, for the Catalan giants.
Palmer vs Lopez at current club
Players
Palmer
Lopez
Appearances
98
90
Minutes
7950′
4013′
Goals
43
19
Assists
29
11
Goal Involvements per Match
0.73
0.33
Minutes per Goal Involvement
110.41′
133.76′
All Stats via Transfermarkt
That translates to a reasonable, but notably worse, average of a goal involvement every three games, or every 133.76 minutes.
Ultimately, Lopez is a very exciting talent and could well develop into a superstar, but as things stand, Palmer is clearly the better player, and his valuation represents that.
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