Chelsea tipped to spend €23m on the ‘Hungarian Van Dijk’ – is he value for money?
Robin Bairner
- 12 Nov 2021 11:46 GMT
- 5 min read
Attila Szalai is tipped to be Chelsea’s first signing of the January transfer window, with the Blues reportedly set to pay €23m for a Fenerbahce star dubbed the ‘Hungarian Virgil van Dijk’.
Szalai was a breakout star of Euro 2020 and was signed for the Turkish side for just €2m a year ago.
But what is the background to the deal and, crucially, would he become an asset or a liability for Chelsea?
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Is Szalai the answer to Chelsea's problems?
The source of the rumour is CNN Turk, and the possibility of Chelsea signing a centre-back is presently high.
The Blues stand to lose Antonio Rudiger, Thiago Silva and Andreas Christensen at the end of the season, with all three out of contract. While Silva’s deal is likely to be allowed to expire, progress on renewals for Rudiger and Christensen appears slow, so it is logical that Chelsea would look for alternatives.
In terms of a fee, FootballTransfers’ algorithm, which measures hundreds of on-field data points and takes into account external factors such as contract length and strength of club, suggests that Szalai is only worth around €6m – well below the huge fee that Chelsea are reportedly willing to stump up for the player.
His ability, too, is under question.
SciSports’ data acknowledges that while he is one of Turkey’s leading defenders, Szalai’s current performances put him below Steven Caulker, a face that Premier League fans will recognised primarily thanks to his time with Tottenham, Cardiff and QPR.
Furthermore, looking at how good he could become, there is a significant gap between his potential ability and the current ability of Rudiger, Christensen and Silva.
Chelsea rarely get things wildly wrong in the transfer market, as their summer business is evidence of. Their approach tends to be well measured and logical.
Signing Szalai for this kind of money would be out of character for Chelsea and would be an ill-advised move.
