Claude Makelele has been employed at Chelsea this season as one of the backroom team who go to watch and report on the loan army’s progress. But in doing so, it seems the former midfielder may be chipping in as a scout too.
The Daily Mail report that Makelele has been in Atalanta, presumably watching loanee Mario Pasalic. It’s there that he’s spotted Ruslan Malinovskyi.
The 26 year old Ukrainian only made the move to Serie A this summer, having already starred for Genk in Belgium, a team who consistently scout the very finest players.
He joined the Italian side for about €14m in the summer, and they will expect a healthy profit on that, but we’ll have no shortage of cash once the ban is finished.
He will play against Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday, so if you’re interested in seeing what Claude has seen in him, check it out!