According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea are interested in signing Heerenveen winger Arber Zeneli in the January transfer window.
The 23-year-old Kosovo international has been in red-hot form in the Eredivisie this season and has earned rave reviews for his consistently impressive displays.
The same report claims that Zeneli has only six months remaining on his current contract which is set to expire next summer and he might be available for as little as £5 million in January.
A youth product of Swedish club Elfsborg, Zeneli made his senior debut for his boyhood club back in 2014 before switching to Heerenveen in 2016. He hasn’t looked back since then and has established himself as one of the best in-form attackers in the Dutch top flight, registering 21 goals and 27 assists from 99 appearances for Heerenveen.
Zeneli represented Sweden at U19 and U21 levels before switching his international allegiance to Kosovo. Essentially a left-winger by trade, Zeneli is predominantly a right-footed creative winger who is known for his ability to unlock defences with his quick feet, trickery, vision and accurate shooting.
The 23-year-old likes to cut inside from the left with his stronger right foot, where he tends to draw the defenders out from their positions and creates space for himself to have a crack on goal. Zeneli has the vision to set up goals with accurate cut-backs into the box from the wide areas and he is also a good crosser who has the ability to pick out the runs of his teammates with low driven passes. In other words, he is someone like Ryan Fraser who plays for Bournemouth in the Premier League.
Zeneli has averaged 1.5 key passes, 2.2 shots and 2.4 key passes per game in the Eredivisie this term, figures which speak volumes of his well-rounded abilities as a wide forward.
To put things into perspective, he would be a good signing for Chelsea as the Blues are in dire need of bolstering their attacking options. Willian has been struggling for consistency while Callum Hudson-Odoi’s future remains uncertain.
The Blues have lacked the cutting edge in their attack this season, with Sarri preferring a possession-based patient build-up style. Pedro has done a good job this season but Chelsea need to sign a young and promising player to provide cover and competition for Willian.
Zeneli has done well in the Eredivisie for the past three seasons and Chelsea should not hesitate to take a gamble and secure his services for a measly figure. He might as well turn out to be a huge bargain at £5 million.