Fansided

5 possible landing spots for Nicolas Pepe this summer

By Kevin Parvizi

TOULOUSE, FRANCE - April 21: Nicolas Pepe #19 of Lille in action during the Toulouse V Lille, French Ligue 1 regular season match at the Stadium Municipal de Toulouse on April 21st 2019 in Toulouse, France (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
TOULOUSE, FRANCE - April 21: Nicolas Pepe #19 of Lille in action during the Toulouse V Lille, French Ligue 1 regular season match at the Stadium Municipal de Toulouse on April 21st 2019 in Toulouse, France (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next
Eden Hazard of Chelsea controls the ball during the UEFA Europa League Final between Chelsea and Arsenal at Baku Olimpiya Stadionu on May 29, 2019 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
Eden Hazard of Chelsea controls the ball during the UEFA Europa League Final between Chelsea and Arsenal at Baku Olimpiya Stadionu on May 29, 2019 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images) /

Chelsea

On the surface, it seems like Chelsea have replaced Eden Hazard for Christian Pulisic, who was purchased from Borussia Dortmund during mid-season. At the time of the transfer, some worried that Chelsea overpaid when they sent 64 million euros to BVB for the 20-year-old, but Pulisic helped quelled some of those doubts by starring during the final games of Dortmund’s charge for the Bundesliga title. Pulisic played the best football of his career when it mattered most, even though he already knew he’d be leaving for Chelsea. For that, Pulisic holds a special place in the diehard fan base’s hearts, and he could become similarly beloved by the Chelsea faithful.

That said, Chelsea have their work cut out for them in the Premier League. Maurizio Sarri looks ready to bolt for a managerial position in Serie A after spending just one season with the Blues, and while Chelsea won the Europa League and were third in the league, they were a good bit behind Manchester City and Liverpool in terms of quality. Chelsea have won the Premier League several times in their recent history, so that is the expectation they set for the club.

Pulisic could be a great player for the Blues, but Hazard was the Premier League’s best player for multiple years and a rare talent. Hazard provided goals, assists, skillful moments of magic, and tireless running with the ball. They can’t truly replace him, let alone with just one player.

Next. The best World Cup teams of all time. dark

But perhaps signing both Pulisic and Pepe could make the difference. Chelsea need another winger anyway. Willian is a strong player on the left side but does struggle with consistency, especially against top opponents. Pedro is still a serviceable veteran, but Chelsea shouldn’t count on him receiving significant minutes. In short, Chelsea’s depth and star power is lacking in attack, and they absolutely must replace Hazard’s ability to create goals. Pulisic alone doesn’t achieve that.

Pepe’s goal-scoring record, though, speaks for itself. Chelsea haven’t had an individual bag 22 goals in a season since both Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard did so in 2009-2010. Pepe could be a game-changing signing for the Blues.

Home/Soccer