Stats show Chelsea are right to baulk at Juventus' Sandro valuation

A long-standing target for Chelsea is Juventus left-back Alex Sandro, who has been on the club’s radar since last summer. The Blues remain interested in the Brazilian, who has made more accurate crosses from open play (53) than any other defender since the start of the 2016/17 Serie A season, with his attacking output from the back a key asset for Juventus. 

Chelsea closely monitored Sandro over the summer and are rumoured to be keeping tabs on the Brazil international this month, but are said to have baulked at the asking price set by Juventus for one of their key men. The Serie A champions are supposedly demanding £60m for Sandro, which even in the current market, is excessive for Chelsea, even if his WhoScored rating (7.42) is the fourth best of all Juventus players. 

Chelsea aren’t the only team interested in Sandro, with Manchester United supposedly in the market for the Juventus man, but the former’s decision not to bow to the Old Lady’s demands isn’t that great a shock. A £60m asking price is hardly a viable investment for a team that already boasts one of Europe’s best in his position. 

Only Philipp Max (10) has had a direct hand in more goals than Marcos Alonso (7 – 6 goals, 1 assist) of defenders in Europe’s top five leagues this season, with his offensive impact a crucial asset for Antonio Conte and one of the main reasons why the Blues operate with a three-man defence.  

Given his current form, there is no need to drop the Spaniard for a new signing, even if Sandro’s capture would provide an additional wing-back option and competition for a starting spot at Stamford Bridge. 

However, there would be no need to spend such a significant amount on a player who wouldn’t immediately be first choice for the Blues. Sandro may be offering more key passes (1.2 to 1) and successful dribbles per game (1.9 to 0.5) than Alonso, but for the former’s attacking quality, the latter makes up for with his defensive resolve. Alonso ranks better than Sandro for interceptions per game (1.4 to 0.9) and is dribbled past fewer times per game (0.5 to Sandro’s 0.6). 

Quality options in every position is crucial for any team battling on a number of fronts – Chelsea are still playing in four competitions at the time of writing – but there’s no surprise that the Blues are baulking at Juventus’ rumoured asking price for Sandro considering Conte can call upon Alonso to perform the same role at a similar, if not better, standard.