Enquiry Made: Chelsea Make First Move To Sign "genius" Star Who's Felix 2.0 - Sportsnewsfoot

Chelsea have been one of the more free-flowing, attacking teams in the Premier League this season, scoring 38 goals in their opening 19 matches and sitting fourth in the table on 35 points.

However, in the past few weeks, Enzo Maresca’s side have struggled to break down teams in a low block, with a 0-0 result against Everton, a 2-1 loss against Fulham, and a 2-0 loss against Ipswich.

The Italian has made fewer changes from the bench in these games, posing the question of his trust in Chelsea’s rotation options on the bench, and therefore the Blues could make a move in the January window to add a game-changer substitute to their ranks.

Chelsea looking at Barcelona star

According to reports from Spain, Chelsea are among the clubs showing interest in Barcelona attacking midfielder, Dani Olmo, who has also received interest from the likes of Tottenham, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal.

The reports state that Chelsea and Tottenham have recently made enquiries for the 26-year-old star, with Fabrizio Romano also confirming La Liga have rejected Barcelona’s appeal to register Olmo in their squad. This issue is what could make a deal for Olmo more feasible for all the interested parties, and cause big competition for his signature.

Olmo has made 15 appearances so far this season in all competitions, scoring six goals, providing one assist and totalling 813 minutes played.

João Félix vs Dani Olmo comparison

One man Chelsea signed from Athletico Madrid this summer, who fits the same description as a creative attacker who can make a difference, is João Félix, who joined last summer for a fee of around £45m.

Like Olmo, Felix is another who spent some time with Barcelona (on loan) scoring ten goals and providing six assists in 44 games for the club.

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Felix and Olmo are similar in the sense that they do their best work playing behind the striker, drifting into pockets of space to receive the ball. However, both have been utilised as wide men, who drift inside when a full-back provides width, becoming a secondary number ten instead.

When comparing the two, Felix is actually outperforming Olmo in most metrics this season, but many of these numbers will be inflated due to the number of minutes the Portuguese has played in the UEFA Conference League, against what many would deem to be “inferior” opposition.

Olmo has still shown his ability to provide output, scoring slightly more than Felix and providing the same assists per 90 (0.19). Both players have strong creative underlying numbers, providing over six progressive passes per 90, more than 1.5 key passes per 90, and over two successful take-ons per 90.

Olmo could well provide Maresca with another “genius” option from the bench, as he was described by journalist Josh Bunting on X for his performances in EURO 2024. Another creative option such as the Spaniard could offer another way of unlocking compact low-block defences, something the Blues continue to struggle with.

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