‘Top class’: Chris Sutton picks his World Cup winner thanks to duo Chelsea reportedly wanted to sign in summer

By Nathaniel Kay

Chris Sutton believes former Chelsea targets Ousmane Dembele and Aurelien Tchouameni will help France win the World Cup.

Sutton pitted his predictions against the other BBC pundits, picking Didier Deschamps as the victorious manager in Qatar.

France are the current holders of the competition, having triumphed in Russia four years ago.

Although the squad has shifted somewhat, Le Blues still have a core of players that propelled them to the trophy last time around.

They also have the element of being able to add further quality this winter, thanks to their continuously growing pool of talent.

“France are the holders and have arguably got the best forward line with Karim Benzema and his Ballon d’Or, Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, even Antoine Griezmann too,” said Sutton.  

“Yes, they have got some injuries in midfield, but they have got two young stars in Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga of Real Madrid who are already absolutely top class.”

Dembele a diamond in the rough

Deschamps’ front line has a familiar feel to, with Mbappe and Griezmann crucial to their 2018 World Cup success.

Benzema returned from international exile for the European Champions last summer, and will be the torment of many defender’s nightmares.

Then there is Dembele, the anomaly of the attacking pack.

He has always been in and around the France camp, but never at the forefront.

The 25-year-old played at the last two major competitions, yet only managed a handful of minutes in both.

Injuries have mainly been the crux of his game time, although Dembele’s club form continues to cause concerns.

On numerous occasions last season, he looked set to leave Barcelona due to contract disputes.

Chelsea were reportedly close to sealing his signature in the summer until he made a U-turn on his future at the Camp Nou.

Talented Tchouameni

Across Spain, Dembele’s compatriot was more concrete on his next destination in football.

Tchouameni agreed to join Real Madrid from Monaco in June, ending a long-running saga of where the midfielder would end up.

Again, Chelsea apparently came within touching distance of securing the major transfer, only to be foiled again by a La Liga giant.

Blues fans will just have to imagine what could’ve been as Dembele and Tchouameni take to the World Cup stage.

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."