Chelsea could offer £7.2m for promising 21-year-old defensive ace – A useful addition for Lampard?

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4 years ago

201019 Malmö FFs Anel Ahmedhodzic inför fotbollsmatchen i Allsvenskan mellan Djurgarden och Malmö FF den 19 oktober 2020 i Stockholm. *** 201019 Malmö FFs Anel Ahmedhodzic before the football match in the Allsvenskan between Djurgarden and Malmö FF on 19 October 2020 in Stockholm, PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxSWExNORxAUT Copyright: SIMONxHASTEGaRD BB201019SH010

Chelsea to bid for Anel Ahmedhodzic – Do they need him?

According to Expressen (h/t Football.london), Chelsea could be set to make a move for Anel Ahmedhodzic. An offer of £7.2million could be on the cards soon, as the defender has impressed in recent seasons at Malmo.

Profile

Anel Ahmedhodzic is a 21-year-old Swedish centre-back who plays for Allsvenskan side Malmo FF. The player spent most of his youth career at Malmo after starting for the club in 2004. He remained at the club for close to 16 years before moving to Nottingham Forest’s youth setup.

Despite spending around three seasons at the club across various levels, he made just one appearance for the senior side. Malmo signed him at the start of 2019 but was loaned out to Hobro IK for the 2019-20 season.

Hobros Anel Ahmedhodzic mod OB s Bashkim Kadrii i 3F Superliga-kampen mellem Hobro IK og OB paa DS Arena i Hobro , 23. august 2019.. , Hobro Jylland Denmark *** Hobros Anel Ahmedhodzic vs. OBs Bashkim Kadrii in the 3F Super League match between Hobro IK and OB at DS Arena in Hobro, August 23, 2019, Hobro Jylland Denmark, PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: HenningxBagger HenningxBaggerx COP103 spdk20190823-211201-L

In 19 games for them, he scored and assisted a goal each (source – Transfermarkt). On his return, he was slotted into the backline at Malmo and hasn’t looked back since. He has made 34 appearances for Malmo so far, scoring 2 goals.

While he played for Sweden through the youth levels and made one senior appearance, he ended up switching to Bosnia and Herzegovina using his parents’ nationality. He has played twice for them to date.

Do Chelsea need him?

For all of Chelsea’s attacking prowess, they leave a lot to be desired at the back. Twice in the league they have conceded 3 goals and they just look vastly disorganised at the back when the opponents attack.

200908 Anel Ahmedhodzic under en träning med Malmö FF den 8 september 2020 i Malmö. *** 200908 Anel Ahmedhodzic during a training session with Malmö FF on 8 September 2020 in Malmö, PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxSWExNORxAUT Copyright: LUDVIGxTHUNMAN BB200908LT012

It is clear they need way more than just Thiago Silva at the back. Ahmedhodzic is starting to make a name for himself in Europe and is slowly developing into a good centre-back. He can play either as a right-sided defender or on left.

Verdict

At this point, Chelsea could really use a young and capable defender alongside Silva. Ahmedhodzic fits the bill of what Chelsea need. He is a good young player with a lot of potential. In a couple of seasons, he could well develop into one of the better defenders in Europe.

Ahmedhodzic is a necessity at this point and would be a good boost to the Chelsea backline. He looks like the perfect foil to Thiago Silva’s experience and leadership with his youth and potential.

Sourav Ghosh