Presnel Kimpembe Chelsea’s Next Signing?

Positives

Played Under Tuchel Before

Kimpembe played under Tuchel before at PSG and this should be an advantage because he understands Tuchel"s personality and system, while Tuchel understands his strengths and weaknesses.

Big Game Experience

He has played in a lot of big games over the last few years which shows that he is unlikely to get stage fright when we play in big games. For France, he has played in the 2018 World Cup (which he won) and Euro 2020 as well as winning the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League. Kimpembe has played in several finals including the Nations League Final, Champions League Final, Coupe de France Final, and three Coupe de la Ligue Finals. He has won five Ligue 1 titles, four Coupe de France titles, four Coupe de la Ligue titles, a Nations League, and a World Cup.

Has Room To Grow

He is still just 26 years old and defenders often get better with age as defending is often based more on positioning and situational awareness than raw athleticism (Thiago Silva is an example for us).

Is An Extremely Accurate Passer

He had a 95.9% completion rate which is in the 99th percentile and he has an extremely high volume as his 74.17 passes per game was in the 92nd percentile so this skill is extremely useful for him. His passing ability allows him to get out of tight spots and limit errors.

Great Build Up Play

His 3.03 progressive passes per 90 (69th percentile) and his 4.27 progressive carries per 90 (87th percentile) show that he is capable of helping in build-up play which is especially useful when combined with his elite overall passing ability. He can even help advance the ball through receiving passes as his 0.28 progressive passes received per 90 ranked in the 75th percentile which could help us further up the pitch and could potentially create chances.

Fits With The Rest of the Defenders

We seem to have one type of defender we are going after which are defenders who can move the ball up the field quickly, which could help our midfielders be more creative. This is a welcome change from under past managers where we would have a squad full of players that fit a number of different play styles.

Negatives

Not the Highest Standard in Ligue 1

Ligue 1 is not the highest standard of league in terms of competitiveness and playing at PSG meant that he has played on teams with a vastly superior level of talent than their domestic opponents. He may need an adjustment period to the higher standard of the Premier League.

Contributes Little In Attack

He only had 0.03 goals per 90 which is just the 33rd percentile for center backs and did not have a single assist last season, which makes his solid progressive passes received stat a lot less meaningful. He does not seem confident whatsoever in his shooting ability as he took just 0.20 shots per 90 which were in only the 9th percentile for center backs. He hardly ever gets the ball in the opposition penalty area as his 0.42 touches in the box ranked in the 12th percentile.

Is Poor In One-on-One Defensive Situations

His 1.46 tackles per 90 are only in the 36th percentile and his 1.82 interceptions per 90 (34th percentile) means that he has a hard time preventing opponents from getting the ball and this could cause issues in terms of allowing goals.

Can"t Prevent Opponents From Getting the Ball

Even more bad news is that his 1.60 aerial duels won per 90 is just 13th percentile, his 1.12 blocks per 90 is just in the 4th percentile and his 2.98 clearances per 90 ranks in only the 12th percentile which means that he cannot consistently prevent opponents from getting the ball and cannot consistently get the ball from opponents which are both extremely concerning.

Overall View

I would not sign Kimpembe for the price tag PSG want due to his extremely poor individual defensive stats. However, these stats may be poor because of PSG"s talent not giving him many chances to make defensive plays. He is regarded as a very good defender and could do well in the Premier League. If we can get the price down to around £25m ($29.6m) I would consider signing him but his stats last season are to concerning to give PSG £42m ($49.7m).

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