With Xabi Alonso coming in, it would not be a surprise if Chelsea look towards the Bundesliga to strengthen their ranks. Of course, the Spaniard found most of his success while managing in Germany and he will know that league well. A short stint at Real Madrid followed and was not a success. But considering how things have fallen apart at the Bernabeu since his exit, perhaps he might not have been at fault.
Alonso is expected to have a lot more say on transfer matters than his predecessors. It has been made quite clear that he is the manager and not merely the head coach.
Now, it remains to be seen if Chelsea are able to make the signings that he wants. One of the areas where they will be looking to strengthen is on the flanks.
One player who might fit that profile perfectly is Yan Diomande of RB Leipzig. But this is not the first time that he has been on Chelsea’s radar. In fact, it looks like he has trialled with the club already and even held talks with Mauricio Pochettino, but the signing was not completed. According to Sport Witness, he said in an interview on So Foot:
“So, I had trials, first in Scotland, if I remember correctly, Glasgow Rangers.
“Then at Chelsea, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Olympiacos. They all went well on the pitch. At Chelsea, I even spoke with Mauricio Pochettino.
“But then, I don’t know what happened, it didn’t work out.”
Diomande has enjoyed a meteoric rise since joining RB Leipzig
It was last summer that Diomande ended up joining RB Leipzig. And it would be an understatement to say that he has enjoyed a meteoric rise since then.
Diomande is still 19 years of age. But he might be one of the best players in the Bundesliga already. In his debut season, he scored 12 goals and provided nine assists in the German league.
So, it is not hard to see why Diomande is already drawing the interest of top clubs around Europe. And Chelsea might be regretting missing out on him. If they want him now, it is going to cost them a lot.
Could Chelsea make another move for Diomande this summer?
Chelsea need to strengthen on the wings this summer. They brought in Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United and Jamie GIttens from Borussia Dortmund last summer, but neither has delivered.
Now, many might point towards Gittens and say that he is a Bundesliga standout who has looked completely out of his depth in the Premier League. And to be fair, one can see the point.
That being said, Gittens was never as good at Dortmund as Diomande has proven to be in RB Leipzig colours. One could argue that nobody has enjoyed as meteoric of a rise since a certain Jadon Sancho.
But once again, that might be something that works against him rather than for him. Sancho has had a steady career in the Premier League but never gotten anywhere close to meeting the expectations he set for himself at Dortmund.
It might take a transfer fee in the region of €100 million to sign Diomande. There is always an element of risk involved in that. You need a lot more than a ‘steady’ performer for that kind of money. Also, it would be exactly the kind of signing the club have made in the four years under BlueCo, and look at where it has got them.