Lots of reports in the press have emerged over the past few months claiming that Chelsea are considering whether to trigger their buy-back clause for winger Jeremie Boga, who has made a name for himself at Italian club Sassuolo since his departure from Stamford Bridge in 2018.
Football data analyst Tommy Vercetti has thrown light on some statistics that should be enough to justify the Blues’ reported pursuit of their former academy prospect.
Going by the numbers, Boga averages the highest successful dribbles completed per ninety minutes among players aged 23 or less in the top-five leagues in Europe. Not only that, but the Ivorian international also tops the list in terms of creating shooting opportunities for his teammates with successful dribbles.
According to the data from FBref, Boga’s average of 5.5 successful dribbles per 90 minutes comfortably tops the averages of some of the most decorated young footballers in Europe like Jadon Sancho and Kylian Mbappe.
Plus, the Ivorian’s average of 1.15 successful dribbles leading to a team’s shot attempt is better than Mbappe’s average of 1.13 and even Leo Messi’s average of 1.10.
None of the Chelsea players boast numbers anywhere close to Boga. Christian Pulisic has the highest average for the most number of dribbles per 90 with 2.80, leading to 0.69 shot attempts while Callum Hudson-Odoi is next in line with an average of 2.54 dribbles per 90, leading to 0.42 shot attempts.
If reports are to be believed, Chelsea have the option to re-sign Boga for just €15 million this summer and while stats only paint a part of the whole picture, the 23-year-old seems to have the qualities to be regarded as a cheaper alternative to Sancho. The Marseille-born ace has been in splendid form for Sassuolo this season, accumulating 8 goals and 4 assists in 25 appearances across all competitions for the Italian outfit so far.
Note: Here's an updated version, with one more addition. Guarantee this will be a surprise to most. pic.twitter.com/UzdjmfHEwH
— tommy vercetti (@thirtyfeet) May 3, 2020