According to various sources, cited by the BBC gossip page, Chelsea are interested in landing Toulouse defender Serge Aurier. The same reports say that he would rather a move to Arsenal, though, which would be a massive blow to the Blues. But who is he, and what could he offer should he arrive in the Premier League?
The first thing that he would offer is flexibility – he is able to operate at centre-back, either of the full-back positions and in the holding areas of midfield. This season in his 28 Ligue 1 appearances, Aurier has averaged 2.9 clearances and 2.8 tackles per game.
Surprisingly, he has also scored six goals and has six assists in the league.
He’s a powerful player who looks to position himself between opponents and the ball and although he can occasionally get caught out because of his hastiness, that will grow out of him with age.
He’s strong in the air – he wins 2.8 headed duels per game on average, and is quick across the ground, and would be ideal to partner Kurt Zouma, who will be arriving at Stamford Bridge in the summer.
It’s too bad that the Emirates is his preferred destination, isn’t it Blues?