Who is Niklas Sule? The giant German to bolster Chelsea's backline
Ahead of Chelsea's welcome of Brighton on Tuesday night, only Manchester City (36) and Manchester United (26) have claimed more points than the Blues (25) since Thomas Tuchel took over the reins at the end of January. It's clear that the German has been a revelation since succeeding Frank Lampard considering their good league form, progression to the FA Cup final and Champions League semi-final.
Tuchel signed an 18-month contract when he was named Chelsea head coach, which included the option for an extra year, but given the club's form under the German, plans are being drawn up ahead of the summer transfer window, suggesting they'll take up this option. Chelsea didn't sign a player in January, yet they're expected to bolster the squad at the end of the season, with a new centre-back high on the agenda.
The west London side are well stocked at centre-back, yet given Thiago Silva's advancing years and that Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger are entering the final year of their respective contracts, the Blues board are prepared to back the former PSG man in the market with Niklas Sule believed to be high on the German's wishlist.
Like the aforementioned trio, Sule has a little over a year to run on his current deal and there has been no movement over extending his current contract. Rather, Bayern are concerning themselves with the likelihood that Hansi Flick will leave the club this summer to succeed Jogi Loew as Germany boss, with Flick recently stating: "The situation is I told the team today that I informed the club during the week that I wanted to get out of my contract at the end of the season."
Given Jerome Boateng and David Alaba are departing at the end of the season, Bayern are wary of being caught short at the back ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, even with the impending arrival of Dayot Upamecano from RB Leipzig. Nevertheless, Chelsea are hopeful of landing Sule for around £30m, as per The Athletic, a deal that Tuchel would certainly sanction.
Tuchel has vastly improved Chelsea's defensive record since his appointment with his side shipping fewer goals (8) than any other team since his taking over the Stamford Bridge reins. For context, Lampard's Chelsea conceded 23 times during the first half of the season, with the goals conceded per game dropping from 1.2 to 0.7. Nevertheless, Tuchel isn't prepared to rest on his laurels and views Sule as the ideal addition to the defensive setup.
In terms of starting attacks from the back, Sule is ideal. Since Tuchel took charge, Chelsea's possession average of 64.6% is better than any other Premier League side, while 593.2 passes per game and a pass success rate of 88% both rank second to league leaders Manchester City.
In Tuchel's demands of domination, Sule would fit the bill with his pass success rate of 90.7% the third best in the Bundesliga this season. Playing for this Bayern juggernaut, Sule is aware of what is required to remain on the front foot against opponents, so a change from one possession-heavy side to another wouldn't be a significant difference in style for the towering Germany international.
"Niklas is a fast player who is calm on the ball and helps shape the game from the back," Flick said of Sule earlier in the year as rumours of a potential move to Chelsea continued to do the rounds and at the heart of the Blues defence, he could prove to be an effective weapon.
He times his tackle well, averaging 1.9 tackles per 90 in the Bundesliga this season and is dribbled past just 0.4 times per 90, returning a solid tackle success rate of 81.6%. Even if an opponent does get the better of him, Sule has the recovery pace to ensure it doesn't result in a shot on his side's goal. Sule is also an intelligent reader of the game as he averages 1.3 interceptions per 90 and his positional awareness is another key reason for Chelsea's interest in the 25-year-old.
The lingering issue, though, is his fitness. At present, Sule is sidelined and he has started more than 20 league games for Bayern in a season just once since his arrival from Hoffenheim in 2017. It's been a stick with which to beat the German and a perceived lack of respect from FC Hollywood over his fitness is a reason why a potential summer exit is on the cards.
Nevertheless, he could prove a suitable foundation to build Chelsea's defence upon and with a great rapport with Tuchel already, Sule seems a good fit for the Blues if they can strike a deal with Bayern for the centre-back.
