We’re just over two weeks away from the deadline of the January transfer window – plenty of time for Premier League clubs to finalise multi-million pound deals.
Chelsea have been particularly busy so far – completing the signing of Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund while also offloading Cesc Fabregas to Monaco.
However, one saga that has emerged over the last week looks at Willian’s Stamford Bridge future after reports claimed Barcelona put in an offer of £50million plus winger Malcom to bring in the Chelsea man.
Blues boss Maurizio Sarri has made it clear he doesn’t want to lose the 30-year-old, however, considering he apparently didn’t know about the Pulisic deal until it was formally announced, the decision regarding Willian’s future is not his.
So if Chelsea’s top brass were to accept the offer what could we expect to see from Willian and Malcom at the Nou Camp and Stamford Bridge respectively?
*We’ve decided to compare Willian’s record this season with Malcom’s record at Bordeaux last season as the latter has made very few appearances at Barcelona this term.
Goals and assists
Scoring goals is not the top priority for wingers but it is helpful if they can chip in every so often.
And it’s Malcom who has a slightly better goalscoring average as you can see from the table below,
However, the pair are on a level pegging in terms of assists per 90 minutes, which would suggest the Blues may get marginal gains from the swap deal.
Shots
Willian isn’t afraid to get a shot away and also takes set-pieces, when they’re in the right area for him, while his goal against Newcastle showed his class at a vital time, giving him 2.5 shots per 90 minutes, with his possible replacement averaging 2.4 last season.
It’s close, but it’s also fair to say the Premier League has sterner defences so getting more shots away is something Malcom may need to work on if he was to join Chelsea.
Dribbles
Although Willian appears to be more direct than his fellow countryman, Malcom appears to have more skills in his locker – an essential quality for a winger.
The 21-year-old appears to have more confidence at taking on his opponents as he had an average of 2.9 successful dribbles per 90 minutes last season, compared to Willian’s average of 2.1 successful dribbled per 90 this term.
Key passes
But it’s Willian who comes out on top when it comes to key passes – another thing you need to be able to do as a winger.
The Chelsea man boasts an average of 3.1 key passes per 90 minutes this campaign, while Malcom only managed a 2.7 average last season.
Crosses
It’s beginning to fade from the game but crossing is still an excellent weapon for a winger.
The two are inseparably in this departemnt thought with both players making 1.1 crosses per 90 minutes, so Malcom wouldn’t have to alter his game too much if he arrives.
Conclusion
Willian would be a big loss for Chelsea but allowing him to leave would appeal to the club’s hierarchy as he is in his thirties, especially with a young, promising winger coming into Stamford Bridge.
Malcom is in a bit of a rut at Barcelona but a move to Chelsea would see him have a point to prove and it could inspire him into taking his game to the next level given his statistics are already fairly similar to Willian’s.
