Three Perisic alternatives for Chelsea after Tottenham transfer

James Shearman

• 1 Jun 2022 13:43 CDT
• 4 min read

Chelsea are having to look elsewhere after Tottenham Hotspur completed the signing of Ivan Perisic on a free transfer from Inter Milan.

Perisic has agreed a two-year contract with Spurs worth €6 million per season.

The 33-year-old’s contract at San Siro was set to expire at the end of next month and he rejected Inter’s offer of a new deal.

Trending

Liverpool star to permanently replace Mbappe as France captain

Premier League managers: Full list of current bosses

Which football managers have been sacked this season?

The Nerazzurri had offered him a two-year deal worth €5m per season and Chelsea were reportedly interested but he has opted to reunite with Antonio Conte at Tottenham.

It was Conte who re-trained Perisic as a left-wing back during the 2020-21 season and the Croatian played a key role as Inter won their first Scudetto in 11 years.

This past season, Perisic excelled even more in the same position and was one of the best players in Serie A for the Nerazzurri, although they finished second behind rivals Milan.

Now, The Blues need to take a look at other options to fill their need of a backup wing-back.

Borna Sosa (Stuttgart)

Sosa is a young left-back that has been going from strength to strength with Stuttgart since joining the Bundesliga side from Dinamo Zagreb in 2018.

During his time at Stuttgart, Sosa has quickly developed into a wing-back with an exceptional cross on him. And more often than not that has led to him piling up the assists each season.

To date, Sosa has bagged no less than 22 assists and three goals in just 83 games for Stuttgart which is a remarkable return for any full-back.

Indeed, Sosa’s delivery with his left foot is so good that he’s often been compared to former Manchester United and Real Madrid winger David Beckham.

Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain)

Hakimi arrived at Paris Saint-Germain off the back of a Serie A title-winning season at Inter in which he'd scored seven goals and assisted 10 in 37 league games.

He cost PSG a fee of €60 million, and has continued his fine attacking form at the Parc des Princes with nine goal contributions in 28 Ligue 1 games.

However, back in March, RMC reported that Hakimi doesn't have a good relationship with the South American players in the PSG squad, who are believed to stay together as a clique.

RMC journalist Daniel Riolo even said: ''Hakimi is going crazy, the South Americans don't talk to him anymore.''

This could make him available this summer, and he would certainly be an excellent acquisition for Chelsea.

David Raum (Hoffenheim)

David Raum is an exciting player on the left side, possessing the vision and technical ability to find his attacking teammates with progressive passes, as well as being an excellent crosser of the ball.

His speed and strength are also important attributes of his that could mean he would suit the Premier League well.

The 24-year-old's versatility, performing well as both a left-back and central midfielder, has also earned comparisons to former Bayern man David Alaba.

''David is a highly talented and extremely fast player with a strong left foot who has developed into one of the most sought-after full-backs in Germany thanks to his outstanding performance this season,'' said Hoffenheim sporting director Alexander Rosen.