After Antonio Conte finally left his position as Chelsea manager in mid-July, Maurizio Sarri is already showing signs of being the ideal successor with the signing of Jorginho and the prospect of attacking football returning at Stamford Bridge. It looks as though the Italian boss is interested in bringing another of his countrymen to Chelsea with Juventus’ Daniele Rugani strongly linked to a move away from Turin.
This would certainly be a step in the right direction for the Blues as the former Empoli star brings something different to the side. With it looking increasingly likely that David Luiz will leave London this summer, Rugani would provide a very good replacement due to his confident ball-playing capabilities and imposing presence at the back.
It was regularly reported during his time at Napoli that Sarri was looking at bringing the 23-year-old to the Stadio San Paolo which is why there is little surprise to see that his pursuit has extended to England. With I Bianconeri reluctant to sell one of their best youth prospects, Rugani won’t come cheap and is expected to cost somewhere between £40 and £50 million which doesn’t sound as much as it would’ve done in the market a few years ago.
His best years should be ahead of him and alongside other youthful defenders in West London, the seven-time Italy international has the potential to thrive. It is clear that Sarri is building a playing style of extravagant fast-moving passing football at Chelsea and Rugani would fit that mould to a tee with his Juventus career being built on that philosophy.
On reflection, it’s hard to see that signing a player like Daniele Rugani would hinder the Blues chances of challenging on all fronts this season. If nothing else, it would significantly increase the strength-in-depth of the backline ahead of what is going to be a tough campaign in all competitions.
