Man Utd and Chelsea at risk of missing out on perfect centre-back

Tom Weber

• Updated: 9 Jan 2024 10:38 GMT
• 4 min read

PSG and Bayern are ready to do battle for Kevin Danso, but it is actually Manchester United and Chelsea who should be all over him.

The RC Lens defender has become an imperious centre-back in recent seasons. He did not have an easy start to his career, but the Austrian has now firmly established himself as one of the continent's better defenders.

After helping Lens to a runners-up finish in Ligue 1 last term, Danso has had a chance to show off his talents to a wider audience in the Champions League this term. The former Southampton and Augsburg man impressed in games against Arsenal, PSV and Sevilla.

Indeed, according to Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg, Danso's performances have attracted the attention of PSG, while Fabrizio Romano now reports that he is also on Bayern's centre-back shortlist. But what about a return to the Premier League?

Danso a good option for Man Utd and Chelsea

Man Utd legend Rio Ferdinand voiced his belief back in October that Danso would be a good reinforcement for the Red Devils and it is hard to disagree. Data experts SciSports rate the Lens man very highly indeed.

In fact, in terms of current ability, only Raphael Varane ranks higher than Danso among Man Utd's central defenders. It's a similar story at Chelsea, where Levi Colwill is the only centre-back deemed to be better than the 25-year-old.

Purely based on ability, Danso would be an ideal signing for the Red Devils and the Blues. Ability, however, is only one piece of the puzzle. Using SciSports' Career Advice tool, we can see that ability does not automatically translate to being a good fit for a side.

SciSports collects hundreds of data points to generate a Club Fit rating and the experts do not believe that Danso would necessarily be a great fit for Chelsea, giving them a rating of just 60 out of 100. Man Utd, meanwhile, clock in with a more respectable score of 72.

It must be said, however, that this is based on the current state of these teams. SciSports biggest concern over a Danso move to either side would be game time. Coming from outside, it could be hard for him to displace the more established names, especially since most of them are all good players in their own right.

This could change by next season. The potential departures of Thiago Silva, Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire would see Man Utd's and Chelsea's Club Fit ratings improve significantly. The Austrian could, therefore, be a great signing.