Should Chelsea consider January move for Coentrao?

Fabio Coentrao has struggled to get playing time at Real Madrid this season

On transfer deadline day, viewers of Sky Sports were treated to a ‘will-he-won’t he’ extravaganza that continued through the night. Viewers awoke the following morning with the situation of Fabio Coentrao still hazy; no-one was quite sure whether the Portuguese would be playing for Manchester United in 2013-14 or if his loan move had collapsed.

Come November, and it is the white of Real Madrid which Coentrao continues to play in. David Moyes was unable to complete the deal in time and his loss could be Jose Mourinho’s gain as the Chelsea manager attempts to sign a backup for Ashley Cole– his former full-back at Real Madrid is seen by some as the ideal man for this.

With Ryan Bertrand and Cesar Azpilicueta already capable of filling in for an absent Cole, the question does linger as to whether or not Mourinho needs to bring in another left-back. Indeed, if he was to do so, the statistics suggest that Coentrao may not be the ideal man for this – his Performance Score currently sits at an ugly -14. Both Bertrand (22) and Azpilicueta (7) have Scores which outshine this, despite the fact that they have had just 63 and 30 minutes on the pitch respectively in comparison to the Real Madrid man’s 238 minutes.

Furthermore, Bertrand has been shown to offer more in an attacking sense than Coentrao. Whilst the Real Madrid man enjoys pushing into offensive positions, his skill on the ball may not be as great as is necessary to be effective at this – in three attempted take-ons, Coentrao has not actually gotten the ball past his opponent once. Bertrand, on the other hand, has succeeded on both occasions; for this reason, one can reason that Mourinho would be better off remaining with the backup which he currently has for Cole.

The graph above also suggests another weakness in Coentrao’s game – one which is likely to be capitalised upon by Premier League opposition. In a division renowned for its physicality and the necessity for aerial ability, the Portuguese would certainly have to adapt in order to make a successful transition; he has so far won just one of five attempted headers this year.

On a more positive note, under Mourinho’s management last season Coentrao was able to make 32 interceptions. Should the Portuguese manager be able to evoke this sort of ability from his compatriot, bringing Coentrao in could be a worthwhile to the Chelsea squad; however, if the man who almost joined Man Utd shows the weaknesses which he has done in his limited appearances so far this season, Mourinho would be better off with Bertrand and Azplicueta as backup for Ashley Cole.