Chelsea finally return to action in the Premier League when they welcome London rivals Tottenham Hotspur to Stamford Bridge on Thursday night.
The Blues have not played a competitive match since they were beaten 1-0 by Arsenal in the top-flight at The Emirates on the 16th March before the break, as they did not play last weekend as they had already been knocked out of the FA Cup.
That break appears to have come at a good time for the London giants, though, as three of their key players have been recovering from injuries and are now due to return against Spurs.
According to The Standard, Cole Palmer is expected to be back in action, despite pulling out of the England squad, after he returned to training with the group last Friday.
England international Noni Madueke is also due to be back in action against Spurs this weekend, having been out of action since February with a hamstring injury.
Finally, former Villarreal centre-forward Nicolas Jackson has been back in training and is expected to be in contention to feature on Friday, having also been out since February with a hamstring issue.
Why Nicolas Jackson's return is a boost for Chelsea
Chelsea have lost four of their eight matches without the Senegal international, whose last appearance came in the 2-1 win over West Ham on deadline day, and they have either failed to score or only scored one goal in six of those games.
This shows that they have been worse off, and largely toothless, without the 23-year-old striker, as they do not have a natural replacement for him. Christopher Nkunku and Pedro Neto have both been tried up front and the results speak for themselves.
Jackson is not a clinical finisher, by any stretch of the imagination, but he is a constant threat to the opposition backline with his movement off the ball and his drive in transition with the ball at his feet.
He has generated 11.38 xG worth of chances in 22 starts this season, which shows that the forward is consistently getting himself into great goalscoring positions, but the attacker has only scored nine goals from those opportunities.
Jackson, who scored a hat-trick against Spurs last season, coming back for this clash on Thursday is a big boost for Enzo Maresca because it will provide the Blues with a real focal point up front, as they will have a natural number nine who can make things happen in the final third.
Hopefully, the 23-year-old sensation, who scored 14 goals in the Premier League last term, can return and provide a goalscoring threat in the remaining matches of the season to push Chelsea to Champions League qualification, as well as a Conference League trophy.
The focus will then turn to the summer transfer window and how the Blues can improve their squad, and they are already reportedly making moves to add more quality to the group.
Chelsea submit bid to sign LaLiga star
According to a report from Spain, Chelsea are one of a number of clubs who are interested in a deal to sign Atletico Madrid attacker Giuliano Simeone this summer.
The outlet claims that the Premier League side, who are the only team named in the report, have already made an official bid of £29m in an attempt to snap up the 22-year-old talent.
It states that Atletico Madrid have yet to accept or decline the bid as they are set to weigh up whether or not to take the offer, as it would represent a significant profit for the Spanish giants, but it would also weaken their squad.
The report reveals that several other European teams are keen on the Argentina international, however, Chelsea are the only team that has made a ‘major’ offer to sign the forward.
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It now appears to be a waiting game for the Blues as they have to be patient and see whether or not Atletico decide to accept or reject their £29m offer for the young whiz.
Where Giuliano Simeone could fit in at Chelsea
The Argentine dynamo is a versatile forward who can operate through the middle as a centre-forward or on either flank as a winger, although 29 of his appearances this season have come on the right flank for Atletico.
This suggests that, whilst he could play in any of the roles across the front three, Simeone could come in to play on the right side of Maresca’s attack, with Cole Palmer in the number ten role, Jadon Sancho or Neto on the left, and Jackson through the middle.
The 22-year-old starlet, who talent scout Jacek Kulig described as “incredible”, could be an excellent addition to provide Jackson with even more chances in front of goal.
Chelsea’s number nine has shown that he can put himself into great positions to generate high xG chances, even though his finishing has not always made the most of those opportunities, and Simeone is a winger who has the quality to create even more openings for him.
Assists
0.33
Top 1%
Expected Assisted Goals
0.26
Top 2%
Non-penalty xG + xAG
0.40
Top 4%
Shot-creating actions
2.56
Top 36%
Progressive carries
3.22
Top 3%
Successful take-ons
1.32
Top 7%
As you can see in the table above, the Atletico talent ranks incredibly highly among his positional peers in a host of key creative and progressive statistics over the last year.
This is backed up by his nine ‘big chances’ created and five assists in just 18 starts in LaLiga for the Spanish giants so far this term, along with two ‘big chances’ created and two assists in seven outings in the Champions League.
These statistics suggest that the winger, who scored his first goal for Argentina against Brazil during the international break, has the creative quality to thrive alongside Jackson in the final third.
Simeone could consistently create high-quality chances for the Senegal international from a right wing position next season if the Blues can bring him to Stamford Bridge, as he has proven his quality in one of Europe’s major leagues and in the Champions League for Atletico.
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It is now down to the club to ensure that they can convince the LaLiga outfit to accept their offer of £29m, or to go back in with an improved bid if it is rejected.
