Chelsea are suffering their typical wintry blues at the moment, having gone four games without a win since thrashing Barcelona in the Champions League.
There's no question that Enzo Maresca has stabilised and advanced the BlueCo project at Stamford Bridge, but, with words from the horse's mouth, "there are many, many things that I need to learn.”
A key theme this season has been the injury suffering of Cole Palmer, who has not scored in the Premier League since September.
Chelsea need a foil, and they are lining up the perfect up-and-coming talent to contest with the Three Lions star for a starting berth.
Chelsea lining up Palmer replacement
After Chelsea let Kevin De Bruyne go way back, the Belgian became one of the greatest players of his generation. In Palmer, they have landed a playmaker who could replace the former Manchester City man as the division's staple.
De Bruyne Premier League stats Man City
However, the 23-year-old's absence this term has been keenly felt, and Maresca and the Blues' sporting directors recognise the need for an alternative option.
They have earmarked such a profile in AZ Alkmaar's fast-rising star Kees Smit, with inews' Mark Douglas suggesting that Chelsea are leading the race for the 19-year-old.
AZ Alkmaar's Kees Smit
Liverpool and Newcastle have also been named as suitors, with the latter considering a January bid, but Chelsea are considered the favourites to land his signature, with a figure of £25m mooted.
Why Chelsea want Kees Smit
Smit may be at the start of his career, but already he has established himself as a talent with the capacity to thrive at one of Europe's most prestigious outfits.
Kees Smit for AZ Alkmaar
And given Chelsea's talent ID when it comes to plucking out elite-level prospects, it could be a match made in heaven, also serving symbolically as rectification after that fumbled De Bruyne chapter.
Smit's creativity and ability to play in deep-lying and advanced midfield berths have actually seen him likened to the 34-year-old, who left Man City and joined Napoli last summer.
Looking at the AZ starlet's dynamism and high baseline when it comes to his playmaking, it's not hard to see why that is.
Kees Smit in 2025/26
Stats (* per game)
Matches (starts)
Goals
Assists
Shots (on target)*
Touches*
Accurate passes*
Chances created*
Succ. dribbles*
Tackles + interceptions*
Duels won*
Data via Sofascore
Already, he is establishing himself against his peers, outstripping them. FBref data shows that the Dutchman ranks among the top 9% of Eredivisie midfielders this season for pass completion, the top 13% for shot-creating actions and the top 7% for successful take-ons per 90.
A successful take-on is recorded when a player beats their opponent by directly carrying the ball past them while retaining possession.
Smit will only get better. Analyst Ben Mattinson has already scouted out his "world-class potential", and his growth over the past two years in his homeland has done little - if anything - to suggest the contrary.
The teenager's strength and intelligence and technical skill all work in alliance, and he has already shown he has what it takes to stand out against Premier League opposition, shining against Crystal Palace in the Conference League this year.
Would Chelsea be wise to wait and see how this up-and-comer continues to develop? Perhaps, but with a host of suitors lining up, time is not on the west Londoners' side; if they want to snap him up, they must do so in January, beating off the likes of Newcastle and landing a player who could become a leading member of Maresca's project down the line.
Maresca was quizzed on Chelsea's reliance on Palmer's output last season, when the England superstar was going through fitness problems.
He relayed to reporters that the Stamford Bridge side needed to break away from that one-man team identity. They are doing so, and with Smit, that would only develop further.
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Chelsea have yet another exciting forward set to join their ranks in the coming months.