According to a reliable reporter, Chelsea are now candidates for the signature of an RB Leipzig offensive midfielder who has previously consulted with Erling Haaland.
Throughout the last few transfer windows, Chelsea have been extremely aggressive in their expenditures. They have brought in Raheem Sterling, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, David Datro Fofana, Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, and Joao Felix on loan, among others, as forwards or wingers.
Now, Graham Potter has an abundance of options to choose from in the final third. Yet, Chelsea may still need to invest in a dependable center forward.
Yet, their requirement for supporting players should have diminished. In spite of this, they have been linked to another another offensive midfielder.
According to journalist Ben Jacobs, Chelsea is the most recent squad to express interest in Dominik Szoboszlai of RB Leipzig. Their interest derives from technical director Christopher Vivell, who formerly worked for RB Salzburg and Leipzig, Szoboszlai’s former teams.
Jacobs said to Caught Offside, “Dominik Szoboszlai has been connected with a number of major Premier League clubs on numerous occasions. Chelsea are most recent.
“It is true that they have deployed scouts to observe him. Christopher Vivell, the technical director of Chelsea, is a huge fan and knows him well from their time together at Leipzig.
“There is no assurance Leipzig will sell this summer if the release clause is not activated. Szoboszlai has a contract through 2026.
“Chelsea must also determine where he fits. Thankfully, Szoboszlai is quite versatile. Adding a playmaker or offensive midfielder isn’t exactly Chelsea’s top priority, given that they already have so many options in this position.
The fact that Szoboszlai can play left wing doesn’t help either, given that Mykhaylo Mudryk just joined Chelsea in January and Raheem Sterling is dedicated to the club and considered vital to the team’s future.
Before strengthening higher up the field, Chelsea must acquire a defensive midfielder and make some departures.
If he moves from Leipzig to Chelsea, he may do so simultaneously with teammate Christopher Nkunku.
Newcastle is also interested in the target of Chelsea’s Szoboszlai
If he decides to leave Leipzig, Szoboszlai, a member of the Hungarian national team, may have other possibilities to explore. Indeed, Jacobs has added Newcastle to his transfer considerations.
Apparently, the 22-year-old has discussed a Premier League deal with Manchester City attacker Erling Haaland.
Jacobs stated, “Atletico Madrid has also shown interest in Szoboszlai (going back to his time with Salzburg), as has Newcastle, who would still like to bolster their midfield and are considering other options.
“According to Szoboszlai’s close friend Erling Haaland, with whom he was in Salzburg, he has discussed life in England in some detail. They continue to FaceTime”
This season, Szoboszlai has made 32 appearances for Leipzig across all competitions. During this period, he has provided five goals and 13 assists.
Throughout his whole tenure with the club, he has scored 15 goals and provided 22 assists in 77 games.
Man City U18s copy Guardiola’s Haaland tactic to book FA Youth Cup semi-final at Arsenal
According to the critics, Manchester City has an issue with Erling Haaland this season.
Haaland has joined the wrong club despite already scored 33 goals, and City are no better with the striker, who is criticized for ‘just’ scoring goals. His buildup play is improving, but not to the satisfaction of all.
Pep Guardiola appears to be relishing the task of incorporating a player of Haaland’s caliber into his possession-oriented team. On the basis of City’s FA Youth Cup quarterfinal victory over Oxford on Tuesday, it appears that the academy is employing a method identical to the one that helped them advance to the Arsenal semi-finals.
Ben Wilkinson, the under-18 coach, told MEN Sport prior to this quarterfinal, “If you see any of our teams play, from under-nine to the first team, hopefully it doesn’t look all that different in terms of style and product.” “We strive to play to the same standards as the first team.”
Wilkinson also wanted City to deal with the pressure of an anticipating home crowd, as opposed to the ‘hostile’ away crowd the under-19s encountered last week at Hajduk Split in the UEFA Youth League defeat, and it would be up to the five starters and seven substitutes from the loss in Croatia to help their younger teammates through this difficult test against Oxford.
With a sturdy back four and little trace of the inverted full-back that the senior squad has recently employed, City dominated possession of the ball. Gatlin O’Donkor’s warпing sɦot went well wide and was the only noteworthy opportunity in an opening in which City moved Oxford from side to side in search of an opening.
This gap would be created by the Oxford right, where Blues striker Joel Ndala would have a great deal of success against U’s right-back Ibrahim Sanoh and his center-back Max Smith. Their midfielders did not assist them in controlling the ball inside the fullback. Before the goal was scored 20 minutes in, Ndala’s speed had been utilised to create three half-chances, and Oxford never found a method to stop the identical forward ball. City scored three goals by attacking Sankoh, who was defenseless.
Isaiah Dada-Mascoll dominated the defensive midfield area, and when he saw an opening to advance, he provided an inch-perfect through pass to Justin Oboavwoduo, who took a touch and gently slid the ball under the opposing goalkeeper Fraser Barnsley. After a hat-trick in the previous match, this was Oboavwoduo’s 17th goal of a fruitful season.
Will Dickson’s and Farid Alfa-runs Ruprecht’s were the closest the Blues came to a second place finish. Although producing few opportunities, they were handling the strain of being the favorite well, although a second goal would be great.
The defensive pairing of Max Alleyne and captain Jadel Katongo were working well together and initiating assaᴜlts on the transition, while left-back Tom Galvez was rushing up and down the left flank to assist Ndala while protecting his defense. Katongo has lately participated in first-team training, while Galvez trained in Abu Dhabi with Pep Guardiola during the World Cup. Galvez is not the first City player to have made his senior international debut before making his club debut, and his offensive performance against Oxford was particularly noteworthy.
Alleyne and Katongo were anchoring the team, Galvez and Ndala were pinning down the left flank, and midfielders Dada-Mascoll and Michael Okeke were dominating the midfield.
But, it was two individuals who clinched a semi-final berth, as replacement Nico O’Reilly facilitated a change in formation and a spark in City’s offensive performance. Seconds after his surge forward nearly resulted in a second goal, he supplied the run of Galvez, whose cross allowed Dickson to provide a much-needed cushion to the scoreline.
After two goals were scored by targeting the Oxford right-back, Galvez sprang up on the overlap for the second time in five minutes to feed Dickson for the third. Dickson had to adapt his run in order to seal City’s victory against Arsenal with 20 minutes remaining.
In the first team, City has had to find a method to facilitate Haaland, who as a large, powerful striker is rarely engaged in the build-up, but can be counted on to score when the ball arrives in the area. Although it is far too early to compare Dickson to Haaland, there were similarities in their modest performances until they scored key goals.
Dickson’s City academy training has made him more involved in the buildup, and he knew exactly where to be whenever Galvez sped down the left flank. As his confidence rose, he began popping up more often to turn, drive, and set up a teammate – a play that nearly set up a third goal for substitute Dan Ogwuru.
City displayed professionalism and discipline against an Oxford team that advanced by defeating Leeds and Cardiff to reach this round. Under pressure, City’s youth passed the examination; they can now turn their attention to Arsenal.
