Rugani would bolster West Ham's defensive options (Getty Images)
According to a report by The Sun, Chelsea have agreed to a £40million deal to sign Daniele Rugani from Juventus this summer.
The report further states that the centre-back could be the club’s first signing of the season despite uncertainty about the managerial position. The 23-year-old is a fine defensive talent and he could go a long way in bolstering the club’s forces at the back. And the price tag is quite decent for a player of his calibre as well.
Now, for the longest time, Cesar Azpilicueta has been a force to reckon with. He is one of Chelsea‘s most reliable and consistent performers and he continues to dominate proceedings at the heart of the defence.
Regardless of whether they play a three-man backline or not, Azpilicueta is usually one of the first names to grace the starting XI. With David Luiz expected to leave this summer, Chelsea could truly work wonders with a player like Rugani. But how does he compare to Azpilicueta?
Let’s take a look at their stats.
In 48 appearances across competitions for Chelsea last season, Azpilicueta chipped in with 3 goals and 6 assists. He recorded a pass success rate of 87% and won an average of 1.9 aerial duels per game. As far as his defensive work is concerned, the 28-year-old averaged 2.1 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 2.9 clearances per game. Azpilicueta’s crosses are a tad weak but all in all, he is an exceptionally skilled and experienced centre-back for the club.
Rugani, on the other hand, appeared 26 times across competitions for Juventus last season. There is a lot of competition at the back for the Italian outfit and it comes as no surprise that the player failed to play often. Nevertheless, the defender chipped in with 2 goals and 2 assists during that time. His pass success rate stands at 89.6% and he won an average of 1.8 aerial duels.
In addition to that, Rugani also contributed an average of 0.8 tackles, 0.8 interceptions and 3.6 clearances per game.
Rugani is seemingly weak when it comes to tackling and intercepting but on other fronts, he is almost on par with Azpilicueta. Hence, signing him would represent a good piece of business by Chelsea this summer. Antonio Rudiger failed to make much of an impact last season whereas Gary Cahill is on the wrong side of 30. In such a situation, signing Rugani could prove to be immensely fruitful for the London-based outfit.
