Not Palmer: Chelsea hit gold on sensation who's worth way more than Simons
da bet7k： They might not have spent as much as they have in previous summers, but Chelsea had a great transfer window this year.
da pinup bet： The club were able to ship off a number of the club’s unwanted players and replace them with a host of exciting talents.
That said, even though the likes of Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Jorrel Hato are incredibly exciting, fans might have been disappointed they missed out on Xavi Simons.
Fortunately, there is already more than enough talent in the squad, including one player worth millions more than the Dutchman who should have a big season this year, and no, we’re not talking about Cole Palmer.
The Chelsea players set for a big season
With a Champions League and Club World Cup under their belts, Chelsea should be looking to kick on in a big way this season, and one of the players who should help them do that is Pedro.
The Brazilian forward has already hit the ground running since his £60m move from Brighton & Hove Albion, scoring three goals in America and two in the Premier League.
Likewise, while he is yet to score a competitive goal for the club, Estevao has looked electric.
He came off the bench in the first two games of the season and then, in place of Palmer, started against Fulham and looked every bit the future superstar that so many believe him to be.
Finally, speaking of the talismanic international, when Palmer returns to full fitness, he will come right back into the side.
As he ended last season with a tally of 18 goals and 14 assists in 52 games, he should help fans who were even linked with Simons in the first place.
With all that said, there is another international star who will be incredibly important to Chelsea’s campaign this season, someone worth millions more than the Flying Dutchman.
The Chelsea star worth millions more than Simons
Even though they are yet to truly challenge for the league, Chelsea are blessed with an abundance of sensational talents, such as Enzo Fernández.
Market Movers
Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?
Yes, the player in question is the Argentinian midfielder, who may have had his issues in West London, but is now undoubtedly one of the side’s most important players, which is reflected in his valuation.
For example, the CIES Football Observatory prices him at up to €87.9m, which is about £76m, or £24m more than the £52m Spurs paid for Simons.
Now, that certainly is an awful lot of money for one player, but over the last year or so, it would be hard to argue that it’s an unfair valuation.
After all, he was a key reason the West Londoners qualified for the Champions League last season, scoring six goals and providing seven assists in just 36 Premier League appearances.
Moreover, his underlying numbers are utterly superb.
According to FBref, the “unbelievable” ace, as dubbed by content creator Matisse Armani, ranked in the top 1% of midfielders in the Premier League last season for switches, the top 5% for completed long passes, the top 7% for key passes, and the top 8% for shot-creating actions stemming from live passes, among other metrics, all per 90 minutes.
Fernández’s Scout Report
Statistics
Per 90
Percentile
Switches
0.79
Top 1%
Passes Completed (Long)
4.79
Top 5%
Key Passes
2.35
Top 7%
SCA (Live-ball Pass)
3.54
Top 8%
npxG + xAG
0.39
Top 11%
Progressive Passes
6.47
Top 11%
Shot-Creating Actions
4.49
Top 11%
Assists
0.21
Top 13%
SCA (Defensive Action)
0.15
Top 13%
Non-Penalty Goals
0.18
Top 14%
GCA (Live-ball Pass)
0.40
Top 14%
Goals + Assists
0.40
Top 15%
Through Balls
0.43
Top 15%
Goals
0.18
Top 16%
All Stats via FBref
Finally, he has the mentality to lead this team, which we’ve seen not only in Chelsea blue but also in the blue and white of Argentina.
Ultimately, missing out on Simons isn’t ideal, but Chelsea have so many game-winning stars in this team, including Fernadez, who is already worth millions more than him.