{"id":562302,"date":"2020-08-17T08:04:40","date_gmt":"2020-08-17T12:04:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonfootball.com\/?p=562302"},"modified":"2020-08-17T08:04:40","modified_gmt":"2020-08-17T12:04:40","slug":"sergio-reguilon-or-ben-chilwell-chelsea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2020\/08\/17\/sergio-reguilon-or-ben-chilwell-chelsea\/","title":{"rendered":"Sergio Reguil\u00f3n or Ben Chilwell for Chelsea?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Links have been made throughout the season with Leicester’s<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>Ben Chilwell<\/span><\/a>. Chilwell’s name has been synonymous with any transfer talk relating to Chelsea<\/a> for months now. However, recently a new name has emerged in Real Madrid owned\u00a0<\/a><\/span>Sergio Reguil\u00f3n<\/span><\/a>. Reguil\u00f3n\u00a0has been on loan at Sevilla for the 2019\/20 season. The Spaniard has impressed in\u00a0<\/span>Rojiblanco<\/span><\/em>\u00a0colours in the campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chelsea<\/a> have been on the hunt for a new left-back since the season came to an end.\u00a0<\/span>Emerson Palmieri<\/span><\/a>\u00a0has failed to impress, and\u00a0<\/span>Marcos Alonso<\/span><\/a>\u00a0has proved to be a defensive liability. The Blues leaked 54 goals last season in the league for a multitude of reasons. One of those being a left-back position in need of reinforcing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chilwell or Reguil\u00f3n?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Two Solid Options for Chelsea<\/h3>\n

Diving into these two players’ statistics, one can easily see why both players are linked with Chelsea. The age profile matches Chelsea’s needs for a young but experienced player. Both Reguil\u00f3n\u00a0and Chilwell will be 24 in December. <\/span><\/p>\n

Both players also played for clubs in a similar position last season. Reguil\u00f3n’s Sevilla secured Champions League<\/a> qualification as they finished in fourth place. Chilwell’s Leicester<\/a> missed out on the Champions League on the final day of the season, finishing in 5th place.<\/span><\/p>\n

Statistically speaking, Reguil\u00f3n\u00a0and Chilwell are also very similar in some aspects, as stated earlier. Both players, in league play, averaged\u00a0<\/span>1.3 key passes<\/span><\/a>\u00a0per game according to\u00a0<\/span>whoscored.com<\/span><\/a>. Furthermore, the two left-backs have a similar successful pressure percentage with\u00a0<\/span>28.5% for Reguilon<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>28% for Chilwell<\/span><\/a>, according to FBref.com<\/a>. However, it’s important to note that Chilwell attempted 73 more pressures than Reguil\u00f3n, which makes his percentage more impressive.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fine Margins<\/h3>\n

Both players can only be separated by fine margins in terms of ability. Defensively, Reguil\u00f3n\u00a0managed 2.9 tackles and interceptions per game while Chilwell managed 2.6 (whoscored.com<\/a>).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Both are also good in the ball progression department. Amazingly, but coincidently, in their respective leagues, they’re both ranked ninth in terms of progressive carry distance. However, Chilwell did a better job of progressing the ball. The Leicester man finished the Premier League with a 6,221 progressive yard distance, 273 yards more than Reguil\u00f3n’s 5,948 (FBref.com)<\/a>. Even more impressively, Chilwell has done this playing 136 fewer minutes in the league.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, both players are solid on-ball defenders, but how do they rank up against each other? Reguil\u00f3n\u00a0in league play was\u00a0<\/span>dribbled past 34 times<\/span><\/a>\u00a0compared to Chilwell’s <\/span>\u00a040 times<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(FBref.com<\/a>). The similarities between these players are crystal clear.<\/span><\/p>\n

Major Difference<\/h3>\n

Chelsea are set to have a blistering attack next season after adding\u00a0<\/span>Timo Werner<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Hakim Ziyech<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to an already free-flowing attack. Defensively, Reguil\u00f3n and Chilwell are similar. Reguil\u00f3n\u00a0is by far the more superior dribbler, however. The Sevilla loanee averaged 1.6 dribbles in the league last season.<\/span><\/p>\n

This could be the only major difference that separates these two players. Chelsea do not necessarily need a dribbler because of the current squad already at their disposal. Yet, it has to be said, Reguil\u00f3n\u00a0could prove to be more versatile than his English counterpart.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dribbling separates these two players on the pitch, but there is another difference that could play a role in a potential transfer. That difference is the price. Transfermarkt<\/a> has Reguil\u00f3n <\/span>market value<\/span><\/a>\u00a0at \u00a325 million compared to\u00a0<\/span>Chilwell’s \u00a340 million <\/span><\/a>evaluation, though Leicester will likely demand in the region of \u00a360 million. <\/span><\/p>\n

The difference in transfer value comes down to the fact that this has been more of a breakout season for Reguil\u00f3n\u00a0at Sevilla. Comparatively, Chilwell has played consistently for Leicester over the past three seasons. That being said, transfer value aside, the actual price being asked for both players is very different according to reports.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to\u00a0<\/span>Spanish paper AS<\/span><\/a>, Real Madrid could only be asking for \u00a325 million for their homegrown commodity. On the other hand,\u00a0<\/span>The Guardian<\/span><\/a>\u00a0has reported that Chilwell won’t leave Leicester for any less than \u00a365 million.<\/span><\/p>\n

Verdict: Sergio\u00a0Reguil\u00f3n<\/span><\/h3>\n

Chilwell is not \u00a347 million \u00a0better than Reguil\u00f3n. If anything, one can argue that Reguil\u00f3n\u00a0has had the better season. Chilwell does have the experience in the Premier League, but does that make him worth all of that money? Reguil\u00f3n is part of a Sevilla side that will be playing in a Europa League final on Friday night. That fact should also count for some valuable experience in high-pressure situations that Chelsea will have to deal with in the Champions League next season.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is an argument to be made over who is the better player between the two. Reguil\u00f3n\u00a0is a great dribbler with a good ability to cross into the box. Chilwell is good at progressing the ball and pressing opponents. Both are very good players, but it becomes an easy decision when discussing the price. Chelsea should go for the cheaper option in Sergio Reguil\u00f3n.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Main Photo<\/span>
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>