Player Focus: Chelsea Would Have Left-Back Position Sewn Up with Baba Capture

Last summer, Chelsea effectively raided Atletico Madrid for three of their best players. Granted, Thibaut Courtois was already on the books at the Blues and his return was merely the culmination of his loan spell, though the acquisitions of Diego Costa and Filipe Luis weakened the former La Liga champions, in the process strengthening the Blues. Courtois and Costa both played significant roles for the club in their domestic double-winning campaign last term and the same should arguably have been the case for Luis. 

The Brazilian’s WhoScored rating in his final season at the Vicente Calderon (7.25) was enough to secure a place at left-back in La Liga's 2013/14 team of the season. After a move to Stamford Bridge Luis was expected to make his mark in London, with many assuming he would be Chelsea’s starting left-back last term. Jose Mourinho, though, had other ideas. The Portuguese instilled the right-footed Cesar Azpilicueta in the position and his consistency at the back meant Luis hardly got a look in. 

One of the club’s unsung heroes, Azpilicueta gained a respectable WhoScored rating of 7.24, which was the 6th best of all Chelsea players last season. The Spaniard’s solid showings at left-back restricted Luis to just 9 league starts in his debut campaign in the capital. Having played regularly under Diego Simeone, a hankering to return to Madrid comes as little surprise. Reports on Monday suggest Atletico and Chelsea have agreed a fee for Luis to return to Los Rojiblancos. 

If that is indeed the case, Chelsea undoubtedly require a replacement for the outgoing 29-year-old. It’s likely that Azpilicueta will eventually succeed Branislav Ivanovic at right-back, meaning a new left-back would be a necessity before too long. Indeed, Mourinho is keen to bring in a new player for the position sooner rather than later, with the highly-rated Baba Rahman reportedly topping his list of targets. 

The young Ghanaian defender only signed for current team FC Augsburg 12 months ago after an impressive two-year stint with Greuther Fürth, but his displays for the Bundesliga side have evidently not gone unnoticed. A WhoScored rating of 7.37 ranked among the top 30 players in the Bundesliga last season and was the highest of all Augsburg performers. The 21-year-old played a vital role in their 5th place finish, helping the team secure a spot in next season’s Europa League in the process. 

After such an impressive campaign in the Bundesliga, Mourinho has clearly earmarked the young full-back as a long-term starter at left-back and for good reason. Baba would arguably add more balance to the Chelsea side as Azpilicueta is reluctant to bomb forward on his weaker foot, with Ivanovic the far more offensively minded of the two. The Ghana international is not afraid to get forward when needs must, noted in his average of 1.4 successful dribbles per game. Meanwhile, when excluding corners, 160 attempted crosses ranked first in the Bundesliga last season, which helped him register a notable 4 league assists. 

As one might expect from a modern day full-back, Baba fulfills his offensive duties impressively, overlapping when needed and providing another attacking outlet. Likely to have Eden Hazard operating ahead of him in Mourinho’s favoured 4-2-3-1 formation, the young defender would be given ample space to run into and maximise has offensive qualities given the Belgian’s inclination to cut inside from the left. 

Yo-yo’ing up and down the flank quickly endeared him to the Augsburg faithful and it’s this aspect of his game that will appeal to Chelsea and their fans. Baba’s 109 tackles - more than any other player in the Bundesliga last season - also showcased the fact that he does not shy away from his defensive responsibilities. An attack-minded full-back runs the risk of shirking this side of his game, but Baba clearly does not. Not only does this help limit opposition attacks on this side of the pitch, but it could help instigate swift counters on the left. Given Chelsea’s counter-attacking ability, this strength of the youngster’s game will only help the Blues. 

Luis and Baba’s approach does not differ significantly, but the former’s desire for regular first team action has convinced him not to hang around at Chelsea, and rightly so. While he could emerge as the Blues’ starting left-back in the upcoming campaign, the Brazil international is not willing to run the risk of another season on the peripheries of the starting XI. 

While Baba will have a desire to develop his game, at 21 chances are he would be more willing to bide his time for regular competitive action, unlike Luis, who turns 30 next month. Baba’s inexperience may be a concern - only Georg Niedermeier and Hiroki Sakai (both 4) committed more errors that resulted in an opposition shot than Baba (3) of all outfielders in the Bundesliga last season - but this is a weakness than can be ironed out with the right training. 

Chelsea are renowned for their continuous hording of young players, only to loan them out to clubs across the continent with a view to selling for a profit. Baba, though, can be considered an exception to the norm. He has proven himself to be one of the best young left-backs in Europe, along with Aston Villa new boy Jordan Amavi, and there is scope to improve further. If the Blues, as rumoured, secure the Ghanaian’s signature before the summer is out, they will have one of the hottest prospects on their books and one that could more than make up for the loss of Luis.

Do you think Baba Rahman can fulfill his potential should he move to Chelsea? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below