Chelsea have been linked with a move for Dutch side Vitesse’s midfielder Marco van Ginkel, and as we know more about the player’s attributes, the more we see resemblance to a Chelsea legend – Frank Lampard.

Van Ginkel is a young central midfielder who has attracted interest from all over Europe, with the best teams across the continent trying to lure the player away from Vitesse.

Talking about his career, the player has been heavily influenced by his current club, who have guided him through his early childhood, to become a versatile midfielder. Van Ginkel arrived at Vitesse at the age of 7, and slowly developed himself into a young sensation. The Dutch side were quick to recognize his talent, and ensured that he stayed and played on a regular basis with the youth squad to nurture his skills. The result of eight years of hard work were there to see, and van Ginkel signed his first professional contract with the club he grew up with. He then began playing regularly for the club, scoring multiple goals in the process.

Due to his scoring spree, the club realized that van Ginkel had matured into a box-to-box midfielder, who would be one of the players who covered the maximum distance in a match. At 6ft 1in, van Ginkel possessed an asset, which was his height, and which enabled him to get in the box more often than not, creating goal scoring opportunities both with his feet, and his forehead.

If Chelsea are successful in their bid for the Dutchman, they will receive the services of a player who is similar to one of their recruits in the past, i.e., current Benfica midfielder Nemanja Matic, who has similar qualities, but whom Chelsea could not nurture due to Lampard’s reign in midfield. Now that the England international could be in his final years at the club, there is plenty of scope for van Ginkel to get used to the intensity of the Barclays Premier League, and then have a serious go at the Chelsea senior side. However, with Jose Mourinho buying some of the best players from around the world to ensure immediate success, van Ginkel could take a while to experience the first team.