Chelsea vs Man Utd: Which Premier League giant should Clauss pick?
Karan Tejwani
- 16 Jul 2022 09:28 BST
- 4 min read
Both Manchester United and Chelsea are reportedly interested in a move for Lens right-back Jonathan Clauss, with the two sides keen on a cut-price transfer.
The Frenchman is valued at £8 million and that has alerted the two Premier League giants, who are looking to improve at right-back.
Manchester United are looking to sign someone to provide competition to Diogo Dalot, as Aaron Wan-Bissaka has struggled for form over the last year.
While Chelsea are keen on a move should captain Cesar Azpilicueta leave – the Spaniard has been interested in a move to Barcelona, with a transfer expected to go through in the coming weeks.
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Who should Clauss join this year?
Clauss has burst onto the scene over the last two years with Lens, as his clubs side have performed well in Ligue 1, and the player even got a call-up to the French national team in the past year.
The 29-year-old’s rise has been exceptional – he was playing in Germany two years ago with Arminia Bielefeld, and didn’t make his debut in the French top-flight until the age of 28.
Since then, he has become one of Ligue 1’s most consistent players, although he mostly plays at wing-back, and his qualities would be suited to either team.
Chelsea have already deployed the wing-back system under Thomas Tuchel, with the German coach often playing a back-three, and that may work well for Clauss.
The Lens man has an excellent attacking output – only Trent Alexander-Arnold’s 12 assists topped Clauss’ 11, as defenders with the most assists in Europe’s top five leagues.
Jonathan Clauss - #mufc
- 37 Appearances
- 5 Goals
- 11 Assists
£8m for a Experienced Creative RWB🤔pic.twitter.com/3avJrhIxZu— Pav (@PavKapoor) July 15, 2022
Additionally, he is also great from free-kicks and playing with the ball, suiting his qualities as a wing-back, which may put Chelsea in the drivers’ seat in this race.
Manchester United are experimenting new styles under Erik ten Hag, who only joined this season from Dutch champions Ajax, and it’s unclear if they’ll need a wing-back.
The Dutch coach has always played a 4-3-3 at Ajax, and has done the same in his two pre-season matches with Manchester United so far, against Liverpool and Melbourne Victory.
However, Clauss may be encouraged by the fact that Ten Hag has a good record with improving full-backs – Noussair Mazraoui, Nicholas Tagliafico and Sergino Dest are examples.
Although Clauss is 29, he will be a good stop-gap option and serve as a quality addition to any side, especially at the price he’ll be joining for.
Other than the two Premier League sides, there is also interest from Ligue 1 rivals Marseille, while Atletico Madrid are also monitoring the situation.
Clauss price-tag is appealing to many clubs across Europe, so interest in the player is quite high – if Chelsea or Manchester United want to secure the players’ services, a move will have to be made quickly.
