Scouting report: Is Franck Kessie ideal for Conte’s 3-4-3 system at Chelsea

Posted Saturday, December 31, 2016 by squawka.com

Chelsea have already been linked with a multitude of central midfield options this January, including Roma's Radja Nainggolan and Monaco's Tiemoue Bakayoko, as Antonio Conte looks to bolster his options in that area this January.

The latest player said to be moving to west London is young Atalanta midfielder Franck Kessie, although it has emerged that Chelsea will have competition for his signature from Premier League rivals Manchester United and Arsenal.

So who is Kessie, who only turned 20 years old in December, and is he ready for the step up to a top Premier League club after just a handful of top-flight appearances?

There have been many comparisons between him and fellow Ivorian Yaya Toure, and this seems fair. The Atalanta player does not have the languid build of his compatriot, standing at 1.83m, but he is still a physical force to be reckoned with, possessing both pace and power.

As such, Kessie looks to use his athleticism effectively as a box-to-box midfielder, covering a great deal of ground both on and off the ball. He is very capable of winning the ball back from the opposition effectively, whilst also being capable in the air winning 16 of his 29 aerial duels.

Unsurprisingly, Chelsea look to be prioritising signing a player who is capable of playing in a midfield four. With Kessie, there is the added bonus that Atalanta often play a 3-4-3 system, which is similar in many ways to Chelsea's.

In possession, he is happy to beat a man before looking to play a pass. He has completed 27 of his 37 attempted take-ons, both a high number and ratio for a centre midfielder.

His passing, on the other hand, is quite haphazard, often rushing play when the early pass is on and therefore not executing it properly. His 83% passing accuracy reflects this, although his willingness to turn defence into attack is something that would be a useful tool for Chelsea's counter-attacking armoury.

Where Kessie is really making a name for himself, however, is his goalscoring exploits. He has already notched six times in Serie A this season from 16 appearances. This includes two crucial, late match-winning goals against Roma and Torino, when the ties were both locked at 1-1.

A closer look shows, however, that these were both spot-kicks and, whilst it took tremendous courage from a young player to put them away, Chelsea are hardly in the market for a new penalty taker with Eden Hazard and Diego Costa on their books.

His two strikes against Lazio on the opening day of the season came from poor goalkeeping, so would should maybe view his scoring record with slight caution. Having said that, he is extremely young and playing in the top flight for the first time.

Unlike Bakayoko and Nainggolan, it seems unlikely that Kessie would be signed to provide an immediate upgrade on Nemanja Matic. He clearly has immense potential, yet his sloppiness in possession and generally raw positional play means he is not yet ready for such a step-up.

The Blues already have a young Ivory Coast international central midfielder in Victorien Angban, who is currently on loan at Granada, and a move for Kessie would merely see them adding yet more potential to a squad full of it.

There seems little question that Kessie has a bright future, most likely at a top European club, but any Chelsea fans hoping that he will come in and improve them immediately may have to lower their expectations.