Manu Kone V Romeo Lavia: Who Would Be The Better Signing For Chelsea? We Take A Look At The Numbers

Chelsea are one of three clubs “leading the race” to sign Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Manu Kone, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain are also keen on the 21-year-old, who could be sold for around €50m (£44m) this summer.

Southampton’s Romeo Lavia is also known to be a key target for the Blues so we have decided to compare the players to see who would be the better signing.

Press the next page as we assess the two midfielders (based on stats from FBRef).

Tackles And Interceptions

To play in a double pivot, you need players who is equally good off the ball as they are in possession.

The tackles and interceptions per 90 metric gives us a good indication of a midfielder’s ability to defend space and both Kone and Lavia have almost identical numbers this season.

While the Frenchman has averaged 3.69 tackles & interceptions per 90 minutes for Gladbach, Lavia’s figure for Southampton is 3.62.

Progressive Carries

The ability to carry the ball long distances from your own half into the opposition’s final third is an excellent trait for a central midfielder.

During his time at the club, Mateo Kovacic has been outstanding in this regard, but when we look at Kone and Lavia’s progressive carry stats, there is only one winner.

The Gladbach midfielder averages 1.63 per 90, which is more than double that of Lavia (0.72 per 90). Both are still quite a way off Kovacic (who has averaged 2.08 per 90 this season).

Progressive Passing

This type of passing is measured by a ball being delivered to a teammate 10 yards further up the pitch or into the penalty box.

All midfielders are encouraged to play balls forward, rather than sideways or backwards, and it is particularly advocated in teams who are keen on being positive in possession.

Kone is again better on this metric (5.84 progressive passes per 90), compared to Lavia (4.14).

Creativity

While Enzo Fernandez is likely to be the player in a midfield two who is likely to be the more creative one, it would be great if he had a partner who can chip in when required.

In terms of key passes (the pass before a shot on goal), Lavia’s number (0.66 per 90) is only slightly below Kone’s (0.73) so far this campaign.

If we look at their combined xG (expected goals) and xA (expected assists), neither have particularly great figures but Kone (o.o9 per 90) has better figures than Lavia (0.04).

In conclusion, Kone could well be the better option if, that is, his numbers translate from the Bundesliga to the Premier League.