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Who is Paris Brunner? Chelsea Linked to Standout Monaco Youngster

Paris Brunner scouted by Chelsea

A recent report noted that Chelsea are monitoring a number of young talents from around Europe. In particular, they are on the lookout for strikers as Danny Welbeck is a short-term option to add to the attacking loadout and Emmanuel Emegha is an unproven prospect. One such name that the Blues are reportedly scouting is AS Monaco talent Paris Brunner. What would the attacker provide and why are the Premier League side interested in his signature? Despite some good looking stats and physical traits, a deeper dive into the striker shows that he has some limitations that could be exposed in the English league.

Who is Paris Brunner? Premier League Club Circles

Premier League: Chelsea Travelling Pre-Season Squad

IMAGO / Pro Sports Images

What He Offers

The 20-year-old is 6 foot 1, offering the kind of height that is appealing to top division teams in England. He has been praised for his back-to-goal play and his pressing. In European play, he covers an average of 10km per match, which is a similar amount to Chelsea’s leaders in Premier League outings.

What has brought attention to him is his goalscoring output in the current campaign. He has managed eight goals and an assist in 11 appearances across all competitions. With his physical exertion and creative output. it comes as no surprise that major teams like the Blues are keeping tabs on him, particularly as Monaco has been known as a team that produces and sells talent in recent years.

Paris Brunner Advanced Stats & Weaknesses

While there is a lot of upside to the German youngster, there are some clear weaknesses to his play. He is a sloppy passer, having a low completion rate and currently showing poor per-90 stats in Expected Assists, passing success, and passing numbers. His on-ball abilities are similarly limited when it comes to dribbling and carrying.

He averages less than one dribble per 90, doesn’t win duels, and despite his height, struggles to win aerial duels. When it comes to a lot of the in-possession aspects of a striker, Brunner has weaknesses that could be exposed when compared to the excellence that Chelsea fans are used to from Joao Pedro.

His pressing strengths are backed up by the deep statistics. He compares well to his peers in tackles, possession wins, and recoveries per 90 when compared to other attackers. He does find his way into good attacking opportunities as despite his limitations, he gets shots away, creates a high amount of xG and is close enough to executing on his expected goal numbers.

The Monaco attacker isn’t a well-rounded player, he is a strong presser and gets into dangerous areas but if asked to play further from the goal he appears to struggle. While he is good at holding things up, he doesn’t always compete as well aerially than he probably should. A move to the Premier League would need some development of his hold-up and overall game or he will be completely eaten up by physical English defenders.

The Last Word

It is no surprise that Chelsea are reportedly scouting a young goalscorer. Physically, there is something there, particularly as the striker has pressing abilities that will translate well to their out-of-possession ideas. He currently has some gaps in his game that could see him exposed in the Blues’ system as we’ve seen with other box strikers. If the team takes this punt, he may just be another Emmanuel Emegha who also showed some positive signs in Ligue 1 before struggling more in England with the added demands.