Should Chelsea sign Roberto Pereyra in January

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Chelsea should not hesitate to sign Roberto Pereyra in January

According to The Sun, Chelsea are interested in signing Watford’s Roberto Pereyra should Eden Hazard leave the club next summer.

The 27-year-old Belgian maestro is contracted to Chelsea till the summer of 2020 but he is yet to commit his long-term future to the club. There has been a lot of speculation in recent times and if you are one of the daredevils to palce a bet based on rumours, offers you a fair price to have a dig at the transfer market odds with regards to a move to Real Madrid.

Roberto Pereyra made his move to Vicarage Road back in 2016 from Serie A giants Juventus and has established as one of the star players at the club. He wasn’t a regular starter in his first two seasons in England but the 27-year-old has started all of Watford’s eleven games so far this term in the Premier League. The Argentine international has been one of the cornerstones of the Hornets’ early-season success, scoring five goals and providing a couple of assists.

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Javi Gracia has brought the best out of him by deploying him in his favourite wide left position in the final third, allowing the Argentine to inject that much-needed creativity into Watford’s attack.

Chelsea have made a bright start to the season under new manager Maurizio Sarri. The Blues sit second in the Premier League standings, ahead of Liverpool on goal difference and just a couple of points behind league leaders Manchester City. The Blues are the only team in the top flight to remain unbeaten across all competitions, proving that they are very much in the title race this season.

Eden Hazard has been the star performer for the Blues this season, scoring seven goals and setting up another four. Maurizio Sarri’s free-flowing possession-based football has brought the best out of the Belgian and undoubtedly, he is Chelsea’s indispensable weapon in the final third and the heartbeat of the forward line. He is Chelsea’s go-to man and a virtually irreplaceable component of the team.

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As for Roberto Pereyra, he is a very talented attacking midfielder but the Argentine cannot be an ideal replacement for Eden Hazard, at least, at least not in terms of impact. Irrespective of what the future holds for Hazard at Stamford Bridge, Pereyra would definitely be a fine addition to Chelsea’s midfield and a perfect fit for Maurizio Sarri’s tactical game.

Chelsea need another creative midfielder in their ranks for the No.10 role as N’Golo Kante has proved that he is not a good fit for a central attacking midfielder. Cesc Fabregas has been short of playtime this season and the Spaniard is likely to depart the club when his contract expires next summer. Mateo Kovacic has done a good job in a box-to-box role but his loan deal does not include an option to buy and he is likely to return to Real Madrid at the end of the season.

Hence, Chelsea will need to bolster their midfield options in January or next summer and Roberto Pereyra would be a good choice. A technically-gifted and tactically versatile attacking midfielder, the Argentine is capable of playing on either side of the attack and also through the centre as a supporting striker. He has exceptional close control and uses his remarkable vision to set his teammates into free spaces with incisive passes. He is not someone who contributes greatly with goals and assists but he is the sort of player who likes to build up the play, work the channels in the final third and get into good positions. In other words, his tactical awareness and intelligence combined with his technical abilities make him a valuable asset to the team.

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Apart from that, Pereyra is a fleet-footed player who likes to use his dribbling skills to take on defenders in one-on-one situations. Deployed in a wide position, he has the ability to cut inside or link-up the play with short quick passes.

That said, Pereyra might not be a good replacement for Eden Hazard but he has all the attributes to fit into Chelsea’s first-team.