Despite being in a clear rush to part ways with Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea seem to be conducting the recruitment process at a leisurely pace.
The Blues finished the season sixth in the Premier League, but instead of playing in the Europa League, they’ve dropped down into the Conference League after Manchester United’s FA Cup triumph.
Therefore, the new manager may have a slightly better chance of discovering his full squad next season, but who’ll be in charge remains to be heard.
Enzo Maresca, Roberto De Zerbi, and even Thomas Frank have been linked, but it’s Kieran McKenna who could just be the best option for Todd Boehly’s rebuild.
So, how could a McKenna Chelsea side look, and are there any particular signings who would prove to be useful under the Ipswich boss?
Chelsea looking to sign creative midfielder
According to reports from the Express, Chelsea are interested in signing Georgiy Sudakov.
The midfielder currently plays for Shakhtar Donetsk, where he’s regarded as one of their most important players.
It’s reported that Chelsea have held talks regarding the prospect of signing the Ukrainian; however, a huge fee is expected to be demanded by his club.
Furthermore, the Blues will face competition from a handful of Premier League teams, including Tottenham Hotspur, which may make any potential deal slightly more difficult.
Why Sudakov would thrive under McKenna
Despite starring for Shakhtar all season, Sudakov’s attention will now turn towards the European Championship this summer, where he will look to lead Ukraine to glory.
At just 21 years old, the talented midfielder has already taken on plenty of responsibility at the Ukrainian champions, even without wearing the armband.
Across all competitions this season, the number ten has made 34 appearances, scoring ten goals and providing six assists, operating as an attacking midfielder in 31 of those outings.
This means that if Chelsea do decide to sign Sudakov, their long-term plan is to either deploy Cole Palmer on the right wing or make the target backup to their top goalscorer and assist maker in a central role.
Touches
61.7
55.7
Successful dribbles
1
1.5
Key passes
1.7
2.1
Shots
1.7
3.2
Balls recovered
4.2
3.1
Duels won
3.7
3
Fouls won
1.8
0.8
Nevertheless, as you can see from Sudakov’s average statistics in the Champions League this season, he can hold his own against the very best in an average side.
It’s instantly clear that he’s a technical genius who has the ability to create, notably making 1.7 key passes a match, but he also has the work rate off the ball to make a difference, recovering a high number of balls.
The above profile is arguably very similar to Conor Chaplin of Ipswich Town, who starred in the number-ten role under McKenna, scoring 13 goals and providing eight assists in the Championship.
The 38-year-old coach likes to give his attacking midfielder the positional freedom to impact the game via instinct, and given the Ukraine international has “superb vision” and is “highly technical and creative," as per football scout Jacek Kulig, he’d thrive in a McKenna 4-2-3-1 setup.
Sudakov has also proven that he’s extremely dangerous when operating in tight spaces, boasting 3.6 dribbles per game in the Ukrainian top flight – far more than Palmer's 1.5 – and given that he would operate in central zones within McKenna’s back three in-possession system, all of his strengths would flourish.
Analyst Ben Mattinson once suggested that should the Shakhtar star be surrounded by more outlets around him – something he'd no doubt find at Chelsea and with McKenna – his "output will skyrocket."
As a result, this is a signing that makes a lot of sense for all parties.
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