Chelsea have been linked in Le Buteur with a player who shares the fairly unusual distinction of having played with both Nathaniel Chalobah and Kurt Zouma. Faouzi Ghoulam is Napoli’s left back, and has impressed scouts from all over Europe with his powerful performances from left back this term.
Ghoulam, who played with Zouma at St Etienne before his move to Italy, is showing great form in both the league and the Champions League this term. However given Chelsea’s recent difficulties negotiating with Napoli – see the summer-long Kalidou Koulibaly transfer saga from earlier this year – perhaps it’s a little too soon to get too excited yet.
It would certainly be very useful to have more cover at left back. While Marcos Alonso is playing well, with Azpi playing in the middle we don’t have an alternative beyond Ola Aina on the left. Given the importance of the wing backs in Antonio Conte’s 343, having a backup who is experienced playing in a similar role can’t be overstated.