‘Burn the place down’: ESPN pundit thinks there's no chance Chelsea can sign 24-year-old star Tuchel reportedly wants
ESPN pundit Craig Burley has responded to Chelsea speculation linking them to Juventus attacker Federico Chiesa by saying he can’t imagine the deal taking place.
Chiesa, 24, is one of the superstar names playing for Serie A giants Juventus.
The Italian winger has risen to fame in recent times, especially after playing a vital role in his country winning Euro 2020 in the summer.
He’s currently sidelined with an injury problem. However, he’s scored 17 goals and made 13 assists in 59 appearances since arriving at Juventus from Fiorentina on an initial loan deal that turns into a permanent one.
Fabrizio Romano reported this month that Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel loves the 24-year-old speedster and would like to bring him to Stamford Bridge.
Burley has made it clear that he can’t see Juventus getting rid of Chiesa under any circumstance, though. He’s joked they should “burn the place down” if he leaves.
“They might as well burn the place down if they sell him (Chiesa),” Burley told ESPN.
“It might be problematic from his point of view, but I think Juventus have enough clout to make sure they’re not selling their best players… I don’t see Chelsea being able to get Chiesa from Juventus.”
Chelsea attack stacked
For Chelsea, they’re overloaded with options in the final third when they look at their squad.
Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner, Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount, Hakim Ziyech, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Kai Havertz are seven Blues attackers realistically fighting over three positions.
If Tuchel wants to sign a top-class forward like Chielsa, surely he’d have to offload one or two of his existing options.
The ability to rotate freely during a hectic winter schedule is going to play into the hands of Chelsea’s manager, but he could have a bunch of unhappy players in the New Year when he’s leaving them on the bench for big matches.
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