€45m winger is “liked by Chelsea” says Ben Jacobs – but there’s one major issue

Chelsea’s search for a right winger has become a central theme of this summer, and after a strong initial push to sign Michael Olise fell through, all sorts of players have been mentioned as a potential alternate.

Today, well connected Chelsea journalist Ben Jacobs has added another to the list – Kaoru Mitoma. His exclusive for CaughtOffside said that the Blues are paying close attention to the 27 year old.

“I’m told that Kaoru Mitoma is liked [by Chelsea].” Jacobs explained.

Mitoma was the talk of the town not long ago, when he became one of the major beneficiaries of Roberto De Zerbi’s revelatory first 6 months at Brighton. The Japan international was held up as perhaps the finest one on one dribbler in the league.

Since then, Brighton’s form has crumbled a little and Mitoma has also struggled to maintain his impressive numbers. But we all saw the individual talent, and we’re sure plenty of clubs are wondering what he could do in a stronger side.

Injuries restricted him to just 19 Premier League appearances last season, and just 7 goal contributions. But this could certainly be a case of “buy low, sell high.”

But does he fit the profile?

Chelsea have almost exclusively signed players under 25 (and most of them under 22) in recent years, and Mitoma would be a big departure from that. There has been shown to be some flexibility in the strategy overall, but given Mitoma is still valued at €45m (TM) despite his off-year and is closer to 30 than 20, we struggle to see this being an example of where the rules are bent.

What seems more likely now is that Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke become our right wing options, while new signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall replaces Palmer in the more central rotation, easing some of the crowding in midfield.