It would be safe to say that things are not going as Kylian Mbappe would have hoped for when he joined Real Madrid. It looks like a large portion of their fanbase have already turned their back on him. Plenty view him as the problem, whether rightly or not, after two disappointing seasons for the club as a whole. Could that lead to an exit this summer? And if so, could Chelsea be a viable option?
After years of chasing his signature, Los Blancos were finally able to sign the French World Cup winner, widely considered the best player of his generation even though he does not have a single Ballon d’Or to show for it. In terms of numbers, he has delivered, scoring goals consistently. But that has not converted to trophies, or even big wins. On the other hand, PSG have been more successful than ever after Mbappe’s exit.
That has led many to reach the conclusion that Mbappe is not someone capable of playing winning football. But if he did become available, there would not be a lack of clubs trying to sign him, not just because of his quality but also the commercial value he brings.
Chelsea have been backed as a potential destination, especially due to the presence of Xabi Alonso. According to talkSPORT, European football expert Andy Brassell said:
“Chelsea have lacked an authentic centre-forward, and I know there will be people who say that Kylian Mbappe likes to play on the left.
“Left or centre-forward, let’s be honest, he’d be amazing for Chelsea. He’d be amazing in the Premier League.
“He has played more centre-forward than people who don’t watch PSG regularly know and would like to admit, and he was good there as well. So he knows what he’s doing as a centre-forward even though he’s not a traditional target man.
“Going with that traditional target man with Liam Delap has not worked for Chelsea. I wonder, with Mbappe turning 28 in December, if there was a landing spot which is not easy to find, I wonder if both parties would decide to cut their losses.”
Xabi Alonso and Kylian Mbappe’s work at Real Madrid suddenly being viewed differently
For a long time, it was believed that Mbappe was one of the players who had a hand in Alonso’s Real Madrid exit. But over the last few weeks, the narrative has changed dramatically.
It has been suggested that Mbappe was one of Alonso’s supporters and wanted him to continue as Real Madrid boss. He also seems to be having problems with Alvaro Arbeloa. And while Jose Mourinho is used to dealing with big players, times have changed and he might not have as much control now as he did in his prime.
As Brassell said about Alonso’s presence potentially helping Chelsea land Mbappe’s signature:
“I think as well it’s become clear in recent weeks and months that a lot of the disquiet between Mbappe and Arbeloa…. Mbappe actually liked Xabi Alonso, and he’s talked about that publicly quite a lot, actually. He’s someone who really felt the click with him as the coach.
“So if you’re asking, do I think that Alonso being at Chelsea would be an impediment to Mbappe going there, quite the contrary.
“I think that there’s a sense of something a little bit unfinished there that could maybe still yield something.”
Is it realistic to think Mbappe could join Chelsea?
In an ideal world, you would hope that such a move would be possible for Chelsea to pull off. But that just does not feel like the case right now.
Chelsea are out of the Champions League. One would also imagine that they would not have the budget to match whatever Real Madrid would want to part with Mbappe.
Then there is the question of how he would fit in. Let’s be honest, there is a reason even the idea of Mbappe leaving Real Madrid is being floated so soon. Do Chelsea want to deal with everything that comes along with the French superstar? Does Alonso after the spell he had at Real Madrid?