It would be fair to say that Chelsea have had a good summer so far when it comes to transfers.
While they didn’t look great in the first Premier League game of the season, the likes of Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens are all incredibly talented.
Moreover, even though he’s young, Jorrel Hato has been talked about as one of the game’s next great defenders for years now, and at this point, the club look increasingly likely to sign Alejandro Garnacho.
Yet, while the Argentine is a promising player who has shown flashes of brilliance here and there, Chelsea are also being linked with another international, someone who would be a big upgrade.
Chelsea chase Garnacho upgrade
Chelsea’s interest in Garnacho is nothing new, as the club were reliably linked with him back in the January window.
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However, the West Londoners have really stepped up their pursuit of the 21-year-old this summer, and as things stand, they appear to be in direct talks with Manchester United over a transfer.
However, while it’s been made clear Garnacho wants the move, the West Londoners have been linked with another international attacker, someone who would be a significant upgrade.
At least that is according to a recent report from Graeme Bailey, who has claimed that Chelsea are in the picture for Ademola Lookman.
The journalist has revealed that following the collapse of his move to Inter Milan, the Nigerian international’s representatives have been in talks with several clubs, including the Blues.
According to other reports from earlier this summer, an offer of around £43m could be enough to tempt Atalanta into selling this summer.
While that is a sizable sum of money, it may prove to be a bargain for someone of Lookman’s quality, especially as he would be an upgrade on Lookman.
How Lookman compares to Garnacho
So, while Garnacho is a talented player and someone who could go on to do great things in the game, Lookman would undoubtedly be the better signing for Chelsea this summer, and the first reason comes down to his versatility.
For example, while the United ace can play in a few positions, he is primarily a left-winger, with 110 appearances coming there, 33 off the right and 27 in attacking midfield.
In contrast, the Atalanta star is far more versatile and can play practically anywhere in the attack, with 100 appearances off the left, 83 as a second striker, 62 off the right, 38 up top and 16 in attacking midfield.
In other words, the Nigerian game-changer could be played wherever he is needed, which in turn gives the manager far more tactical options ahead of and during matches.
The second reason Lookman would be a massive upgrade on the Argentine is his output.
Since moving to the Serie A side in August 2022, the “world-class” attacker, as dubbed by the BBC’s John Bennett, has scored a brilliant 52 goals and provided 25 assists in 118 appearances, totalling 7538 minutes.
That means the former Everton flop has averaged a goal involvement every 1.53 games or every 97.89 minutes since the start of the 22/23 campaign, which is frankly outstanding.
Appearances
33
34
Minutes
1858′
1205′
Goals
15
5
Assists
8
5
Goal Involvements per Match
0.69
0.29
Minutes per Goal Involvement
80.78′
120.5′
Appearances
45
50
Minutes
2809′
3574′
Goals
17
10
Assists
10
7
Goal Involvements per Match
0.60
0.34
Minutes per Goal Involvement
104.03′
210.23′
Appearances
40
58
Minutes
2871′
3568′
Goals
20
11
Assists
7
10
Goal Involvements per Match
0.67
0.36
Minutes per Goal Involvement
106.33
169.90′
In contrast, the Madrid-born gem star has scored 26 goals and provided 22 assists in 142 appearances, totalling 8347 minutes, across the same period, which comes out to a great, but still less impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.95 games, or every 173.89 minutes.
Finally, the Wandsworth-born dynamo proved that he can do it on the biggest stages when he scored a hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen in the 2024 Europa League final, so there he should be able to come right into Maresca’s side and be a difference-maker from the word go.
Ultimately, Garnacho is a talented player, but from practically every way you look at it, it’s clear Lookman would be a massive upgrade.