Five Left-Back options for Chelsea to consider in January

1) Owen Wijndal (AZ Alkmaar)

The 22-year-old left back from AZ Alkmaar comes out well in Chilwell-similarity searches per the Smarterscout engine.

The young Dutchman has 11 senior caps and in 16 league appearances this season, he’s produced an impressive 1 goal and 6 assist returns. In a breakout campaign last year, he managed 1 goal and 6 assists in 34 appearances.

His underlying metrics show a player with strong ball retention, good attacking output, excellent lineup play but still raw at receiving the ball in the box in dangerous positions.

Nonetheless, his age and profile seem the kind of long-term option that Chelsea could sign as competition for left wing-back this season and who would eventually take over as backup for Chilwell in the summer of 2022, making it a sensible move even in the long term.

A “caveat” is that he’s managed by Mino Raiola which could lead to unnecessary hassle for clubs down the line but his age, potential and raw game style fit well with what Chelsea would desire in this role in the long term.