1 day ago
24
Chelsea has been told to pursue Darwin Nunez down the line, with the ex-Liverpool forward being hailed as the "perfect" fit for Enzo Maresca's side.
The 26 year old made the switch to Saudi League outfit Al Hilal during the summer transfer window for a guaranteed $61.1 million, with performance-related clauses potentially pushing the total package to $74.8 million. After arriving at Anfield in 2022 from Benfica for an upfront sum of $84.6 million (with potential add-ons taking it to $113 million), Nunez netted 40 times in 143 outings for the Reds but failed to consistently deliver the ruthless finishing required to truly excel on Merseyside.
Since his arrival in Saudi Arabia, the Uruguay international has found the net four times and registered two assists across seven matches for Al Hilal. Playing alongside the calibre of Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Kalidou Koulibaly, Nunez seems to have adapted well to life in the Far East, though a European comeback cannot be discounted considering the striker's age.
Indeed, ex-Chelsea and AC Milan centre-back Marcel Desailly reckons the Blues should consider bringing in the Uruguayan somewhere along the way. Speaking to OLBG, Desailly said: "Darwin Nunez for me [would be] perfect. Spot on. Young, he had bad luck at Liverpool, but if Liverpool took him, it means that they've seen in him a real potential.
"I wanted Darwin Nunez to come into the system confident, with Maresca, with a good system. It could have really been helpful for Chelsea. Not too expensive. So this is my opinion. I would have really loved to see that player into the squad. If he's still in the market, if Saudi is not suiting him correctly, he could be the one that comes back.", reports Football London.
Chelsea brought in Liam Delap and Joao Pedro during the summer transfer window to strengthen Maresca's attacking options, though the English forward has been sidelined since late August following a significant hamstring problem.
Pedro, on the other hand, began his Chelsea journey at the Club World Cup in spectacular fashion but has found form harder to come by recently and appears to require a break.
Adding a player like Nunez could provide Maresca with an alternative option, having steered the club to UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup success last term. However, Desailly believes the Blues remain some distance from competing for the game's biggest prizes with their present squad, with the former defender maintaining Chelsea still require greater consistency.
"Look, last year, when you started last year, you never expected that they were going to win the Conference League or win the Club World Cup," he said. "You thought that they were too young. The consistency was not there.
"Talented players, but not really up to the level. Premier League is super difficult. You need to have experienced players in your squad. They are trying their best. Like I mentioned, Fernandez, the Argentinian.
"Because you have to play in some field that is difficult. Going to Newcastle is difficult. You have to have the squad ready for the battle. It's intense, the Premier League, and I believe that that intensity that the Premier League is giving will not allow them to have that consistency on point to be able to win. Look what happened to Liverpool at home against United. Can you imagine?".
"Where Liverpool is now, you know, stable on the tactical set-up. They won and then they got hammered by United. So it is difficult to keep that consistency and gain enough points to be able to go through.
"So I think they are still building up and surely you need to have that super player that has to come, not too famous.
"A player that has the need of fame, the need of good stats to be able to be that plus that Chelsea is looking after, to win eventually that Premier League. It's not Club World Cup, it's not Conference Cup, it is the Premier League, it is something different."
English (US) ·