‘He is complete’: Claude Makelele raves about ‘quality’ player that Chelsea nearly signed in the summer

By Nathaniel Kay

Claude Makelele made no attempt to hide his admiration for Aurelien Tchouameni.

Speaking to AS, the Chelsea hero hyped up Tchouameni’s abilities as one of the best midfielders around.

It is already widely accepted across the world that the 22-year-old is at the level of the elite European players in his position.

He ranked first for interceptions made (101) and fourth for tackles completed (86) in Ligue 1 last season whilst still at Monaco.

Tchouameni has carried over the destruction of opponents into the current campaign, but now doing so in a Real Madrid jersey.

The defensive rock is in the top ten for interceptions (21) and has only been dribbled past on six occasions in 12 La Liga appearances.

These are statistics that the iconic Chelsea disrupter would’ve been proud of.

“He (Tchouameni) is a very good player. He has that double quality, being good in the midfield and knowing how to attack. He is complete,” praised Makelele.

“Now, to be at the level of Madrid you have to have personality in the way that (Luka) Modric does. He has time, and he must learn from those close to him.”

Chelsea come close to Tchouameni

Madrid could not resist the temptation to bring the France international and his talents to the Bernabeu in the summer.

Having chased him so some time, Los Blancos finally got their man.

But they had to fight off competition from several corners of the continent.

Chelsea reportedly agreed personal terms with Tchouameni , having been after his expensive signature for so long.

But the Blues were beaten to the punch by the Champions League holders.

Better luck next time, Todd Boehly.

Nathaniel Kay

"Nathaniel is a football journalist who graduated from the University of Derby. He worked at Burton Albion as part of their media team for two years. Nathaniel produced regular articles for the club’s official website and match-day programme. He covered the 2018 U20 Women’s World Cup in Brittany and has reported from grounds ranging from non-league up to the Premier League. Nathaniel is a full-time writer for the Chelsea Chronicle, and was formerly their social media man. His footballing career reached the sparkling heights of winning the Under-13s Bloxham Tournament in 2011."