Should Chelsea target Atletico Madrid’s Koke?

Atletico Madrid’s Koke (R) and Almeria’s Marcelo Silva fight for the ball.

Chelsea’s squad may be brimming over with top quality attacking midfielders, but their central midfield lacks depth, with only John Obi Mikel, Frank Lampard, and Ramires being the only real options Jose Mourinho has available to him following the long-term injury suffered by Marco van Ginkel and with Michael Essien being out-of-favour. However, instead of following up on Netherlands manager Louis van Gaal’s recent suggestion of signing another attacking midfielder in Wesley Sneijder, Mourinho may instead want to look in the direction of a central midfielder like Atletico Madrid’s Koke, who is said to be interesting Manchester United. The Daily Mail also label him as the “New Xavi.”

The 21-year-old is a versatile player, capable of playing on either flank as well as in the space just behind the striker, but his best position is in central midfield. He has become a key player for Atletico under manager Diego Simeone. The fact he was the club’s second best performer last season according to Squawka’s Performance Score rating proves that. He earned 1,000 points from his 33 La Liga appearances. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, a Chelsea loanee, beat him by 61 points.

Atletico Madrid’s top performance scorers last season

He would bring creativity and technical quality to a Chelsea midfield that currently boasts more athleticism than anything else. He is good at taking set-pieces as well as picking passes in open play. Last season, he completed 30% of his through balls, helping him to create an impressive 80 chances overall, which was the most of any Atletico player and the sixth-most in La Liga. He ended the campaign with a stellar nine assists.

So far this season he has created 17 chances, which is the fourth-most in La Liga and again the most of any Atletico player. In addition, the six assists he has – already two third’s of his tally last season – is the joint-most in the league along with Barcelona’s Francesc Fabregas. The stats don’t always tell the whole or even the right story, but these numbers genuinely reflect how much of a creative force Koke is for an Atletico side that is taking La Liga and Europe by storm.

Most assists in La Liga

But the youngster does more than just use the ball well. He can notch a couple goals too, scoring three last season and grabbing two already this season. He loves to shoot from long range. The placement of his efforts so far this season has been quite good, as seen above. If he maintains that, more goals are likely to be on the way.

Koke Shot Accuracy

But more than a force in attack, he is a very energetic, hard-working player off the ball, ever willing to put in a committed defensive shift. That athleticism would see him fit right in with the the Blues’ current central midfielders. He attempted an average of 2.5 tackles last season and is averaging 1.9 so far this campaign. It is worth noting that he averaged less than one foul per game last season and has maintained that record so far this campaign, showing how tidy he is in his attempts to regain possession.

A player with his creativity and athleticism would do well alongside a proper holding midfielder who would allow him the freedom to get forward to influence things in the attacking third. At Chelsea, with Essien unfortunately past his sell-by date, Mikel comes closest to being this type of player. The likes of Oriol Romeu and Nathaniel Chalobah, both currently out on-loan, would also make ideal partners.

Koke certainly wouldn’t come cheap, but a player of his current quality and frightening potential would be worth every penny. He would indeed prove a valuable addition to Chelsea’s central midfield and that of other top clubs.

Football graphics and stats from Squawka?