Arber Zeneli would be a fantastic January signing for Chelsea
According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea are interested in signing Heerenveen attacker Arber Zeneli and the Blues have sent scouts to watch the 23-year-old in action.
The man from Kosovo has earned rave reviews for his consistently impressive displays in the Eredivisie this term, accumulating 3 goals and 9 assists from 17 appearances. To go with his heroics on the domestic front, Zeneli has also netted 4 goals for Kosovo in the UEFA Nations League, including a hat-trick in the 4-0 victory over Azerbaijan.
Born in Sweden, Zeneli represented the country of his birth at the U21 level before switching his international allegiance to Kosovo. He played for his boyhood club Elfsborg before making a switch to Heerenveen in 2016.
The 23-year-old hasn’t looked back since then and has gone on to establish himself as one of the hottest young talents in the Dutch top-flight, amassing 21 goals and 27 assists from 99 appearances across all competitions.
Essentially a left-sided attacker, Zeneli can be described as a winger/forward due to his ability to score goals as well as tee up his teammates inside the penalty area.
Known for his pace, agility, athleticism and dribbling skills, the youngster is adept at using his quick feet to cut inside from the wide areas, where he either makes space for himself to have a crack on goal or find the right pass to contribute to the build-up play.
Zeneli is never afraid to put his foot through the ball and he is capable of scoring spectacular goals from outside the box. To add to that, he is a fairly good crosser who excels with his deliveries into the box. The youngster has worked a lot on his passing in the final third in recent years, which should help him take the next big step in his career.
To put things into perspective, he would be a welcome addition to Chelsea’s squad in January. Zeneli is not really a household name in Europe but he has shown enough promise in the Eredivisie, which should convince the Blues to make a move for him.
While Gonzalo Higuain has come in, the Blues should look to bring in some promising young talent for the wide areas, with Callum Hudson-Odoi linked with a move to Bayern Munich. Even if he doesn’t complete a move in January, Hudson-Odoi is unlikely to sign a new contract at Stamford Bridge.
Willian has struggled to make an impact this season and Chelsea need to freshen up their squad with some young blood in order to provide competition for the older players. And Zeneli certainly fits the bill.
The Daily Mail reports that the 23-year-old is out of contract next summer and Chelsea could get him for as little as £5million in January. With just more than a week to go for the transfer deadline, the Blues should not waste any time in securing his signature.