Why Ruslan Malinovskyi would be a brilliant signing for Chelsea

Back in October, The Express had reported that Chelsea sent scouts to watch Atalanta midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi. It is claimed two-time Premier League winner Claude Makelele scouted the 26-year-old during an international competition in October.

Ruslan Malinovskyi, 26, has dished out impressive performances for Atalanta this season after moving to Italy this past summer. He spent the last three-and-a-half years playing in Belgium for Genk after starting his career with Shakhtar Donetsk.

The midfielder has managed 17 appearances across all competitions so far this season, scoring two goals. With Malinovskyi performing consistently in Italy, Chelsea must go all out to sign him in January.

Chelsea look set to spend money in the January transfer window after having their transfer ban overturned. (h/t The Sun)

The Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced Chelsea’s two-window transfer ban last week to only one window – which means the Blues’ punishment has already been served. So Frank Lampard heads into the January window knowing he can buy players to strengthen his squad.

Lampard enjoyed a fine start after taking the reins at Stamford Bridge this past summer, but three defeats in four Premier League games shows there is still plenty of work to be done.

Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at Everton highlighted Chelsea’s lack of defensive stability, so the Blues boss should prioritise shoring up his side’s backline when the transfer window reopens.

The midfield area needs strengthening too, with Lampard currently having N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, Ross Barkley and Mason Mount as options. Ruben Loftus-Cheek is yet to feature for the Londoners this season, having ruptured his Achilles tendon in May.

Frustratingly for the midfielder, he has suffered an injury setback and is ‘no closer’ to being fit. (h/t The Metro)

If the Blues are to make it to the top-four this season, adding more quality to the midfield department is a must. And signing someone like Ruslan Malinovskyi would be a step in the right direction.

Malinovskyi is a quality central midfield player who prefers to operate in a box-to-box role but is capable of playing as a number 10 behind the striker if required. The Ukrainian international has the sheer quality on the ball to unlock a stubborn defence and is willing to do the pressing work off the ball.

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The 26-year-old has averaged 2.4 shots, 1.7 key passes and 1.6 dribbles per game whilst achieving 79.5% pass success rate. He is also a good tackler, as evident from his 1.2 tackles for Atalanta this season. [Courtesy: WhoScored.com]

Verdict

At 26, with international pedigree and Champions League football under his belt, Malinovskyi could bring experience to a young Chelsea side that has struggled at times this season.