Why Chelsea Should Try And Sign Leonardo Bonucci Next Summer
Chelsea were heavily linked with signing Leonardo Bonucci from Juventus over the summer but the deal did not materialise after the Italian centre-back chose to join AC Milan instead. Bonucci has had his share of drama with Massimiliano Allegri, and an exit appeared to be the best option for both parties. The decision to join Milan may not have sat well with many of Juventus’ supporters but the Blues can consider lining up a move for him next summer.
Bonucci has rightfully earned a reputation as being one of Europe’s strongest defenders, after playing seven seasons with Juventus. If Chelsea try signing him next summer, should Bonucci consider a move?
As it is, the likeliness of Bonucci winning trophies with AC Milan look extremely questionable. Despite spending a massive sum of money on summer recruits, Montella has failed to guide the club to glory. At the same time, Chelsea are not looking all that great either, but their recent win against Watford in the Premier League did seem encouraging.
The central position of Antonio Conte’s famed back three is already assigned to David Luiz, for most parts. Whether or not Conte will replace Luiz with Bonucci is questionable. However, if comparisons are to be made, Bonucci certainly has better vision and playmaking skills.
Additionally, Bonucci also has better ball control than Luiz. The current Chelsea defender, however, is extremely effective when it comes to contributing to attacking plays and surging forward. As far as zonal awareness is concerned, Luiz is a bit weak while Bonucci is quite strong.
Having said that, Luiz’s sweeper role in 3-4-3 gives him the freedom to track and man-mark assigned targets while the two other central defenders fall back to cover the defender. Thus, one might argue that he does not really need the same positional awareness a central defender might ordinarily need.
Now it all depends on how Conte deploys the two centre-backs – one is better in positional awareness and vision while the other is better in one-on-one battles and bringing the ball to advanced areas.
Bonucci’s vision and creative playmaking can not only help in breaking opposition but also in opening up gaps for Chelsea to capitalise. Thus, signing Bonucci could certainly help Chelsea but then, he did join AC Milan only a few months back on a five-year contract, which means he will not come cheap.
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