He's Rice 2.0: Chelsea make offer for 'one of Europe's most underrated CMs'

Chelsea are not short of quality options in their midfield. Enzo Maresca has some excellent players at his disposal in the centre of the park, including the £100m plus duo of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez. The pair have been integral to the Chelsea side this term.

Former Blues winger Joe Cole recently claimed that Caicedo is an “outstanding” player and picked him for the most improved player in the entire Premier League.

With 38 games, he has played more times in the top flight this season than any other Chelsea player. As for Fernandez, he’s featured 36 times, also highlighting his importance to the Blues.

Remarkably, Chelsea appear to be looking to bolster their midfield depth by adding a title-winning midfielder to their squad this summer.

Chelsea’s midfield target

Adding a new midfielder to this squad would certainly be a statement for Chelsea, given the star power they have. Let’s not forget that Romeo Lavia is also an option for Maresca. However, as all sides with top aspirations should, they are looking to improve their options in midfield.

According to a report from Italian news outlet Gazzetta, the West London side have made ‘an important offer’ for Napoli midfielder Frank Zambo Anguissa. There are question marks about whether the newly-crowned Scudetto winners can convince him to remain in Naples.

Indeed, it is thought that ‘a clause in his contract allows him to evaluate this option independently’. This could leave the door open for Chelsea to bring him back to West London; the midfielder was formerly on the books at Fulham.

If he does leave, a price has not yet been clarified, but Napoli paid the Cottagers a reported £15m back in 2022, according to The Athletic.

Why Anguissa would be a good signing

For Chelsea’s project under Maresca, it seems like they are about to enter phase two. With Champions League qualification secured, the Blues will surely want to become a permanent fixture in the top four once again, and, eventually, push for a Premier League title.

Well, who better to help with that than a two-time Italian champion like Anguissa? He has played a pivotal role in Napoli’s success under a former title-winning manager at Stamford Bridge, Antonio Conte.

He played 35 Serie A games this season, notching up 2858 minutes in total, the equivalent of 31 full 90-minute games. One reason why he was pivotal in the middle of the park is his tendency to pop up with a key goal or assist. Anguissa found the back of the net six times and provided five goals for his teammates.

If the Blues agree a deal for Anguissa, perhaps he will bring some of the qualities Declan Rice possesses in the midfield for Arsenal. Of course, the England international was once a Chelsea academy player, years before he broke through into first-team football with West Ham United.

Just like Anguissa, the 26-year-old is an all-action midfielder, known for his hard work off the ball and his quality in possession. In fact, he has similar goal involvement numbers to the Cameroon international, with four goals and seven assists in the Premier League in 2024/25.

The pair are also noted as similar players among those in their position in Europe’s top five leagues, as per FBref, when looking at their underlying statistics.

For example, the pair are both hard workers off the ball, with the Napoli midfielder averaging 5.4 duels won per 90 minutes compared to 3.9 duels won each game for Rice.

As writer Zach Lowy has stated, Anguissa is “one of the most underrated midfielders in Europe”, which the stats certainly back up. There is no doubt that the Blues would want a Rice-type player in their midfield, and he certainly tricks the boxes, given his impressive carrying skills, numbers out of possession and amount of goal contributions.

Whilst a fee is not clear, Chelsea have seemingly made contact with Anguissa already, so this could be a deal that moves swiftly. If they do manage to bring him to the Blue side of West London, he could be an excellent addition to an already star-studded midfield.

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