Could Serie A's best tackler Allan be a perfect fit for Chelsea?

Udinese midfielder Allan

When Jose Mourinho returned to Stamford Bridge in the summer, he inherited a squad blessed with midfield talent. With Frank Lampard signing a short-term contract extension at the back end of last season and Michael Essien making his way back to west London after a year-long stint at Real Madrid, Mourinho had what looked like a stable base to what would drive his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation. Throw Ramires into the mix, who has arguably been one of the Blues’ most important players since his arrival in 2010, as well as John Obi Mikel and defender-turned-midfielder David Luiz and the club seemed considerably overstocked for the central midfield roles.

However, it’s clear the club have lacked a top quality defensive midfielder, so should the club target another Brazilian in Udinese’s Allan?

The Brazilian earned praise for a string of fine performances last season – a season in which he made 36 Serie A appearances. The 22-year-old is very much the heartbeat of the Italian side and is further proof that you don’t necessarily need an abundance of power or a noticeable physical presence to run the game from the deeper positions.

Allan – Average Pass Accuracy

Standing at just 5′ 8″, Allan is usually found patrolling the central areas just in front of the Udinese back three, reading the game and picking apart opponent attacks before springing one of his own with a lofted ball down field, much like what Andrea Pirlo does in the heart of the Juventus side.

His lack of height provides him with an agility that isn’t often found in a holding player, and a low centre of gravity that allows him to swivel and turn to shield the ball. Allan is a type of player that Chelsea do not currently have at their disposal, with Frank Lampard a naturally attacking player and Ramires the athletic outlet who provides the dynamic bursts forward. Essien and Mikel are very much about the powerful approach, with the latter injecting a sense of coolness into the side, whereas Allan is a player who thrives on being in your face and clipping at your ankles while suffocating you into making mistakes.

Allan – Average Duels Won

He has won 33 of his 41 of his attempted tackles so far this season in his seven appearances for Zebrette and also completed 84% of his passes, while his 83% take on completion suggests how strong his ball control is. In fact, he has won the most tackles in Serie A this term.

At the time of writing, Allan has also averaged the most defensive actions per game from all midfielders at the club with four, which includes 13 interceptions. He holds the required amount of aggression which is needed to boss the midfield while being able to boast a huge level of technical ability. Should there be any glimmer of hope that Mourinho could land the South America then the Special One should certainly look into signing the gifted midfielder.