According to reports in Italy, Chelsea are planning to make a bid for Ascoli winger Riccardo Orsolini. These reports also claim that the Premier League leaders are willing to sign the Italian for a fee in the region of £5 million.
Orsolini has attracted interests from Italian giants AC Milan and has been reportedly scouted by Arsenal as well. However, the interest from Chelsea seem to be much more concrete and there are good chances that the move, surprising as it may seem, is likely to go through.
So, who is Riccardo Orsolini? Why are Chelsea chasing him? We take a look;
Born in the town of Rotella in 1997, Riccardo Orsolini joined the Ascoli academy at a very young age and has been through the paces before making it to the Ascoli youth team as an 18-year old in September 2015. His rise from there has been rapid though, with his performances for the U-19 side earning him a move to the senior team within six months of his debut in March 2016.
Having scored his first goal against the Napoli U-19 team in October, in just his fourth game, the 19-year old winger went on to score 17 goals and assisted a further 9 strikes in the ‘Primavera C’ competition for the Ascoli U-19 side last season. He also appeared twice in the Coppa Primavera and scored twice.
Having made the leap to the senior side, Orsolini appeared 9 times in the Serie B last term but failed to score, however, he did register one assist. But, he has been in fine form this season for the Italian side in the second-tier competition, scoring four times and assisting four more in 20 appearances so far. Orsolini grabbed his first Serie B strike in a 1-4 loss against Hellas Verona in October and has been impressing with his exciting performances since, which has resulted in attention from the likes of Juventus, Arsenal, AC Milan and now Chelsea.
A left-footed player by nature, Orsolini prefers to play on the right-hand side in an inverted winger role, given his liking and penchant for cutting in from the flanks. The 19-year old possesses a great turn of pace and acceleration and his one of his biggest assets is the confidence and composure he shows in one on one situations. Sharp unpredictable turns, express pace and loads of confidence, make Orsolini a tough prospect to defend against. Having played both in a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-3-3 setup, he has shown that he can play in either system comfortably.
However, there remains a question if he can cut it at the big stage, given he has featured only in the lower divisions of Italy and the English competitions will be a huge step-up from that level. At only 19-years old, Orsolini is showing great potential and is definitely one for the future and if Chelsea do sign the Italian winger, he will most likely join their long list of players loaned out.
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