Rayan Cherki could be the spark that Chelsea and Mauricio Pochettino need

With Chelsea being linked with Rayan Cherki in recent weeks, how could the 19-year-old provide a spark to the Chelsea forward line, and where would he fit in?

In this article, we are going to look at how the young Frenchman could improve Chelsea’s attacking options, where Pochettino could utilise Cherki, and what could prove to be the main stumbling block for Cherki.

Fit under Poch:

Rayan Cherki is a creative attacking player, who has predominantly played in the central attacking midfield area behind the striker for Lyon. However, Cherki is versatile across that front line and is able to play on both the right and left-wing, as well as the centre attacking mid area.

If Pochettino uses a similar 4-2-3-1 system as his Tottenham team did, Cherki would be perfect for both the attacking midfield role behind the striker, and the right-wing/right-attacking midfield spot (which was often occupied by Eriksen for Spurs).

With the addition of Christopher Nkunku to the Chelsea squad, it is expected that Nkunku will be the starting attacking midfielder, playing behind the striker. However, it has also been mentioned from within the club that Chelsea view Nkunku as a very versatile attacking solution, who can play attacking midfield, on the wing, and even up front.

Cherki at only 19 years of age would be perfect to rotate with Nkunku at the attacking midfield position at times, and we could also see an attacking lineup with Nkunku up front, and Cherki in behind him.

But the main position I believe Pochettino would like to utilise Cherki in is the right attacking midfield role. In Pochettino’s 4-2-3-1 system at Spurs, Eriksen would play on the right of the three men behind the striker, however, instead of playing as a wide midfielder, Eriksen would float inside, playing in the half spaces closer to the goal, where he could be more creative and effective for the team.

This worked due to Pochettino’s love of attacking fullbacks, and his usage of fullbacks to provide his teams with width. With Reece James playing this role for Chelsea, Cherki could be the perfect man to play in this Eriksen role, drifting inside and becoming a main creator for this Chelsea outfit.

Cherki’s strengths:

Rayan Cherki excels in his creative metrics, hence my reasoning for Pochettino favouring Cherki in the Eriksen role for Chelsea. This season the 19-year-old has the highest expected assist numbers across the top five leagues for players under the age of 23. Cherki has produced a whopping 9.03 expected assists for Lyon this season, followed in second by Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior with 8.82, which is pretty elite company.

Taking a look at Cherki’s Fbref scouting report, the 19-year-old produces 6.15 shot creating actions per 90, 6.92 progressive passes per 90, 6.39 progressive carries per 90, 3.8 successful take-ons per 90, and 12.5 progressive passes received per 90. All of these statistics rank in the top 95 percentile for attacking midfielders and wingers.

These numbers show the elite creation levels Cherki is already producing at only 19 years of age, and by comparing his expected assists (9.03) to his 6 assists in Ligue 1 this season, the statistics suggest that his output should be much higher.

As well as his creativity, Cherki also has an eye for a goal and likes to test the keeper. The Frenchman produces 2.93 shots per 90 and manages a Non-Penalty xG of 0.24 per 90. The 19-year-old scored 5 goals last season for Lyon, and with the positions Cherki picks up in the box, this could significantly improve over time.

One slight concern:

Aside from the fact Cherki is extremely young, one facet of his game that may not be up to the level of Pochettino’s liking is his work rate.

Cherki carries himself on the pitch as many elite forwards do/have done in the past. He conserves his energy to do damage on the offensive end. However Pochettino is known for his high-pressure and high-intensity philosophy, and this could work against Cherki if he doesn’t improve that aspect of his game.

Reminiscent of Eden Hazard for Chelsea, especially under Jose Mourinho (a more defensively inclined coach), Hazard would rarely track back, or press in the forward line. However, Hazard offered so much on the attacking end, that it was impossible to replace that quality, and Mourinho therefore made exceptions for the Belgian.

My only concern for Cherki is that with his current work rate and defensive output levels, he wouldn’t be a typical Pochettino player. However if he could create chances and score goals at an elite level, comparable to Eden Hazard, I am sure exceptions would be made for the Frenchman.

The other option would be for Cherki to improve in this area, and increase his workrate. At such a young age, it is still a massive possibility that Pochettino could mould Cherki, with his higher intensity training sessions, and philosophy. As long as Cherki could press within the structure of the team, setting traps higher up the pitch with his teammates, this would be enough of an improvement to warrant the usage of Cherki for Pochettino’s Blues.

Conclusion:

In my opinion, Rayan Cherki fits the mould of what Chelsea are currently building under their new ownership.

Cherki is reportedly available for around £35-40 million, and he would fit within the wage structure currently being implemented at Chelsea as he is currently on around £70k per week with Lyon.

He is only 19 years of age which fits the young group Chelsea have assembled, and this would allow Cherki to settle in and grow into the team.

And lastly, Cherki offers elite creativity numbers, which is something Chelsea have lacked in recent years. The addition of Rayan Cherki would improve this area for the Blues, as well as fitting the transfer strategy the club is following.