Chelsea fans thank Boehly for bargain transfer as Real Madrid 'lurk'

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 16 Feb 2024 08:50 GMT
• 5 min read

Chelsea fans have thanked Todd Boehly and the club’s recruitment team for signing Malo Gusto from Lyon last year.

The Frenchman initially joined the Blues in January 2023, before being loaned back for the rest of the season, for a fee of just €30 million and his form this campaign has been sensational.

Although Chelsea have been poor as a collective, Gusto is not to blame, with the 20-year-old stepping up in Reece James’ absence.

Mauricio Pochettino named James as club captain last summer, but the Englishman’s injury problems have persisted this season and he remains on the treatment table now. In total, James has missed 29 games through injury so far in 2023-24 and he is not expected back in the first-team fold for several weeks.

The Cobham academy graduate’s injury issues have been well-documented, and following the departures of Tariq Lamptey and Valentino Livramento, Chelsea were heavily criticised for not signing an adequate James back-up amid Cesar Azpilicueta’s waning form.

However, Boehly and Clearlake Capital finally fixed Chelsea’s right-back problem last year and have been rewarded by Gusto’s form.

The ex-Lyon star has four assists in the Premier League so far this season, which is the second best tally in the Chelsea squad (behind Cole Palmer) and the fifth best of any defender in the English top flight.

Kieran Trippier, Pedro Porro, Alfie Doughty and Vladimir Coufal are the only defenders with more assists in the 2023-24 Premier League season, and they have all amassed far more than Gusto’s 1,102 league minutes.

The Frenchman is also brilliant when faced 1v1 with a winger down the flank and his press resistance is incredible. He frequently finds a way out of pressure by using his pace to breeze past an opponent or by utilising his immense technical quality to find a team-mate with an incisive pass.

As per Fbref, Gusto ranks in the top 10% of full-backs in Europe’s top five leagues for the following metrics over the past year: assists, passes attempted, pass completion %, progressive carries, progressive passes received and tackles.

He is a true two-way full-back and Chelsea will be buoyed by the fact he is contracted to the club until 2030.

With James rarely fit, signing a quality right-back was a priority for Chelsea and Gusto already looks like a bargain at €30m. Furthermore, Blues fans have expressed their gratitude to the club’s ownership for landing the Frenchman amid potential interest from Real Madrid.

Los Blancos have been long-term admirers of James and with Kylian Mbappe and Alphonso Davies set to join in 2024, right-back is the only priority position left to solve at the Santiago Bernabeu.

As a result, Chelsea supporters are thankful for landing Gusto and are slightly frightened by the prospect of losing the 20-year-old.

What have Chelsea fans said on social media?