With nine wins, four draws and eight losses, Chelsea have endured a pretty torrid 2023/24 Premier League season so far.
Still, with three league wins on the bounce, a League Cup semi-final, and passage into the fourth round of the FA Cup secured, Mauricio Pochettino has a lot more to smile about than he did a month ago.
However, with the transfer window in full swing, things could get even better, as the latest played touted for a move to Stanford Bridge could be the perfect Moises Caicedo partner, and he has been likened to Enzo Fernández.
Chelsea look north for midfield reinforcements
According to reports from Spain, Newcastle United's Brazillian midfielder Bruno Guimarães is seen as an 'ideal addition' to Chelsea's midfield in the summer by the club, and his name has been resonating 'in the corridors of Stamford Bridge' for some time.
The reports claim that while the Toon do not want to sell one of their best players, the financial situation at the club regarding FFP may force their hand, with the report going as far as claiming that the former Lyon star's days at St James' Park are 'numbered.'
However, Luke Edwards, the Telegraph's northern football writer, revealed last month that the tenacious midfielder has a release clause in his contract, but it is worth £100m, and while Chelsea have shown a total willingness to pay those sorts of prices, it'll still make the deal that bit more complicated.
That said, a midfield pairing of Guimarães and Caicedo or Fernandez might just be enough to tempt Todd Boehly and Co to once again dip into their enormous pockets.
How Guimarães compares to Enzo Fernández and Moises Caicedo
So, the Newcastle midfielder's comparisons to the World Cup-winning Fernandez stem from FBref, which takes data from a vast swathe of professional football leagues from around the world, and in the case of players from the Premier League, they take players from Europe's top five leagues, look at where they rank for specific metrics, and then create lists of those players who rank very similarly to one another.
In Guimarães' case, the Chelsea man is the ninth most similar player to him across all of Europe's top five leagues.
Douglas Luiz
Aston Villa
Enzo Le Fee
Rennes
Maxence Caqueret
Lyon
Marcelo Brozovic
Al-Nassr
Dani Ceballos
Real Madrid
Alexis Mac Allister
Liverpool
Vitinha
Paris Saint-Germain
Jordan Veretout
Marseille
Enzo Fernandez
Chelsea
Youssouf Fofana
Monaco
That said, how do the two Chelsea players actually compare to the Toon's "complete midfielder", as described by Talent scout Jacek Kulig?
Well, the first thing to note is that he is much more of a direct goal threat than his potential new teammates, registering one goal and three assists this season to Caicedo's zero goal involvements and Fernández's one goal.
However, when it comes to the trio's underlying numbers, it becomes a slightly tighter affair.
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.23
0.33
0.08
Expected Assists
0.13
0.10
0.06
Progressive Passes
7.55
8.13
5.00
Passing Accuracy
85.5%
84.6%
91.1%
Goals per Shot on Target
0.17
0.11
0.00
Goal-Creating Actions
0.41
0.27
0.25
Tackles Won
2.24
1.87
2.47
Interceptions
0.87
0.67
0.86
Successful Take-Ons
1.79
1.07
0.74
Ball Recoveries
6.22
4.53
5.56
For example, the "world-class" Brazilian, as teammate Dan Burn dubbed him, emerges victorious regarding expected assists, goal-creating actions, goals per shot on target, interceptions, successful take-ons and ball recoveries.
In contrast, the Chelsea pair excel in other areas, such as tackles won, progressive passes and passing accuracy. Still, if you were to take an overall winner across every metric, it would be hard to argue against the Toon Titan.
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Ultimately, while it looks like it'll be another costly transfer for the Blues to complete, Guimarães' performances this season, combined with his underlying numbers, are evidence enough that he would be worth every penny and could form a brilliant partnership with either Caidcedo or Fernández – or both.