Premier League English

Tosin Adarabioyo could end up as Pochettino’s own Varane

With Chelsea allegedly being on the lookout for a new centerback, Fulham’s Tosin Adarabioyo is now hotly rumored to be on their radar as Mauricio Pochettino’s own Varane as a left-field option.

The Blues are in the process of doing all they can to whittle down their bloated squad this summer, although admittedly selling Kalidou Koulibaly and Ethan Ampadu could run the risk of leaving them a little exposed at the back.

The situation could be a little further compromised with the uncertain futures of Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah – the latter is rumored to be targeted by West Ham United while Wesley Fofana is noticeably a long-term absentee –which is little wonder why Mauricio Pochettino’s side are being preoccupied with the search for new defenders.

Chelsea writer Simon Phillips, via his Substack page, reports that Adarabioyo is a primary target being seriously considered by the west London outfit, with others like Axel Disasi of Monaco and Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi also being possible options on the Pochettino’s radar.

As far as price considerations are concerned, Adarabioyo would likely be much more affordable than Disasi and Guehi, with RMC Sport reporter Fabrice Hawkins alleging that the Fulham dynamo is available for up to £13m as his contract expires in under a year’s time.

Adarabioyo has also been linked with Tottenham Hotspur and has spent the past three seasons with Fulham with two of those in the Premier League, either side of a spell in the Championship – after opting against trying to make the grade at Manchester City.

The 25-year-old gargantuan featured in eight matches for City under Pep Guardiola, who lauded the youngster two years ago for joining another club and making a name for himself at the highest level.

“He’s a guy from the academy and, finally, he has taken his position in the Premier League. We are more than delighted the level he’s showing,” Guardiola said. “He deserves it. He’s an exceptional person and a good footballer.”

With 58 Premier League appearances for Fulham – 23 of those coming last season as a starter – the former England U19 ace topped Fulham defenders for aerial duels won (2.4 per game), as per WhoScored, and clearances (5.5 per game). Adarabioyo also notched impressive clearances last season, with only three players in the division – Chris Mepham (5.6), Joachim Andersen (5.8) and Ethan Pinnock (7.1) – having averaged more clearances than the lad.

Despite being not as well known as Chelsea’s other defensive targets, the English lad more than holds his own against the Premier League’s elite names in terms of his performances, having ended up in the top 20% of all defenders across Europe’s top five leagues for aerial duels won, according to The Analyst.

Reinforcing this, FBref’s comparison model ranks former Real Madrid and current Manchester United star Raphael Varane as the player fifth-most like Adarabioyo across Europe’s top five leagues. In other words, this means Pochettino could grab his very own version of the Champions League and World Cup-winning colossus.

Both defenders win a similar number of aerial duels (72.4% for Varane compared to 69.4% for Adarabioyo) and complete an almost similar number of passes (86.3% v 82% respectively), while Varane averages more blocks (1.13 per 90 v 0.86). The 6 foot 5 Adarabioyo however comes out top for tackles won (0.56 per 90 v 0.42) and interceptions (1.12 v 0.52).

The young defender clearly has that something special in him that could make him a future star in his own right under the Argentine at Stamford Bridge.