Chelsea have been hunting Germany international Andre Schurrle for quite some time and in reality could have completed a deal for him last summer.
But the word is that the Blues are closing in on their €25 million-rated target as they continue their policy of snapping some of the most exciting young talents on the globe.
The 22-year-old forward, who can play through the middle and on the wing, has been a key man for third-place Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga this season.
Stationed on the left of a counter-attacking 4-3-3, Schurrle has scored nine goals and provided five assists, acting as a support act to prolific centre-forward Stefan Kießling.
At 1m84 he is a powerful presence, direct, hard-working and pacy. Schurrle has been so direct this season that only one player – Kießling – has taken more shots per game in the entire Bundesliga this season.
His ability with the ball at his feet is also impressive, completing 3.4 dribbles per game, the fifth highest in the German top flight behind the likes of Franck Ribery and Wolfsburg’s Diego. However, he does have a tendency to give up possession while taking on defenders as his turnover count is one of the highest in the league.
Potential?
But he is technically solid with his pass completion rate this season standing at a reasonable 79 per cent for a direct role.
But what does all that say about his potential role at Chelsea?
The Blues have been playing a 4-2-3-1 with the trio of Oscar, Juan Mata and Eden Hazard behind the main striker.
Currently playing as a left-sided inside-forward, would he automatically fit on the left of 4-2-3-1 which is currently occupied by Hazard or is he seen as a versatile back-up?
He could also be seen as a challenger for Demba Ba, Fernando Torres and the returning Young Player of the Year nominee Romelu Lukaku, due to his size, pace and reasonable finishing ability. In fact when he was called up to the Germany squad for Euro 2012, he was seen as the third striker in the squad although he started on the left of the 4-2-3-1 in the quarter-final against Greece.
With the way that Roman Abramovich’s mind seems to think, it is unlikely that the 22-year-old German will be trusted to lead the line before he has earned any star power.
The likelihood is that he will bring competition for places on the left wing as an impact sub, with an added role as a third striker behind Ba and Torres.
