According to reports from The Sun, Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez is on the verge of a £45million transfer to Premier League champions Chelsea.
What’s the word?
Earlier today, the 30-cap international was given permission to leave the Algerian national team to complete a Deadline Day transfer to a new club.
However, after being snapped in a Paris airport, it was unclear whether Mahrez actually had new employers lined up or simply didn’t want to be stuck on a flight to Zambia on the final day of the transfer window.
The Sun discuss some of the scenarios suggested by other sources, highlighting how little clarity there has been over Mahrez’s situation today, but make the ‘exclusive’ claim that the 26-year-old is heading for Chelsea in a £45million deal.
Is Mahrez worth the fee?
In the grand scheme of the most ridiculous summer transfer window of all time and what is shaping up to be an incredibly chaotic Deadline Day with deals involving a number of the Premier League’s top clubs, £45million for a player of Mahrez’s ability actually represents pretty sturdy business for the Blues – despite Transfermarkt valuing him at £27million. The African attacker didn’t exactly cover himself in glory last season but he was the real cutting edge when Leicester unexpectedly won the title two years ago and has shown that form at the start of the current campaign, bagging two assists in the Premier League already.
Where does he fit in?
That’s the real question, which makes Chelsea’s swoop for Mahrez somewhat surprising. He undoubtedly boosts their attacking ranks but Antonio Conte already has three fantastic options for his dual No.10 slots in Eden Hazard, Pedro and Willian, while Cesc Fabregas proved effective there last season too.
Likewise, there are other positions that were expected to take priority for the Blues on Deadline Day, chiefly central midfield, wing-back and centre-forward, where Conte is rather limited in terms of depth. Perhaps Mahrez has been acquired as an emergency wing-back and an extra body in attacking midfield, but it seems unlikely he has the physicality and awareness for the defensive side of the former role. In a nutshell, Mahrez doesn’t address any of Chelsea’s Âshortcomings, but he’s an impressive asset nonetheless.
