Chelsea are reportedly interested in Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro, with Blues boss Thomas Tuchel still looking to add to his midfield before the end of the transfer window.
Heavily linked with Manchester United, it seems that Chelsea could attempt to hijack any move United made for the Brazilian, with a 90min report stating Tuchel's side are admirers of Casemiro.
Casemiro only signed a new deal with Los Blancos last year, but it's reported that Carlo Ancelotti's side could be open to selling the 30-year-old for a fee over £51m. The Brazilian has earned the reputation of being one of the best defensive midfielders in world football, playing a pivotal role in Madrid's last five Champions League titles.
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So, if Chelsea were to try and hijack a move for Casemiro and bring the Brazilian to Stamford Bridge, how could he perform? Could he help push Chelsea towards Premier League or Champions League success?
We 'signed' Casemiro for Chelsea next season
For this simulation to happen, we used the in-game editor for Football Manager 2022 to transfer Casmeiro from Real Madrid to Chelsea. We also updated the Blues squad with all the latest changes, and the Premier League with the latest results.
Casemiro had a good first season with Chelsea, making 36 appearances in all competitions as he was rotated often by Tuchel. N'Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic still remained the German's first choice partnership, with Casemiro helping improve the performances of Kovacic and Kante.
In his 36 games, Casemiro scored two and assisted two, averaging a rating of 7.1 per game. The 30-year-old also ended the season with a 91% tackle success rate and a 92% pass completion rate - the highest in the Chelsea squad.
Only Kovacic and Kante made more appearances than Casemiro, with both also registering higher average ratings per game. Jorginho and Conor Gallagher struggled to get into the side after Casemiro's arrival, with the two making a combined 11 starts across all competitions.
At the end of the season, FM22 released the Best XI from the Chelsea squad, using player statistics, league data and other measures to complete the team. Here's Chelsea's Best XI for the 2022/23 season, according to our simulation.
Full Chelsea Best XI (5-2-2-1): Mendy; James, Chalobah, Koulibaly, Silva, Cucurella; Kante, Kovacic; Ziyech, Mount; Havertz.
Casemiro was a surprise omission from the Chelsea best XI, with Kovacic and Kante both starting ahead of the Brazilian. In front of the midfield, Hakim Ziyech worked his way into the best XI over Raheem Sterling, whilst Marc Cucurella started over Ben Chilwell on the left.
Chelsea’s 2022/23 season results from the simulation
The Blues won 22, drew eight and lost eight in the 2022/23 season, finishing third in the Premier League. Ending the campaign with 74 points, Chelsea were 20 points behind the winners Liverpool, but just three behind Man City in second as the Reds eased their way to the title.
The Blues sat in fourth behind Arsenal for most of the season, but a terrible end to the campaign saw the Gunners earn just four points from a possible 18 and drop below Tuchel's side. Chelsea managed the worst goal difference out of the top four, despite making attacking and defensive signings this summer.
With 60 goals scored and 42 conceded, the Blues ended the season on a +18 goal difference, 12 behind the next worst, Arsenal. Their third-place finish wasn't an improvement on last season, managing the exact same points.
Despite not improving in the league, they managed to find success in the cup competitions, winning the Champions League in the 2022/23 season. After going 1-0 down, Chelsea fought back to beat Liverpool 2-1 in the Champions League final, reclaiming the trophy they won in 2021.
The Blues lost 2-1 in extra-time against Man City in the FA Cup semi-final, with Casemiro being sent off in the first half. And, despite the Brazilian scoring in the Carabao Cup third round tie against Arsenal, the Gunners emerged 3-2 winners to eliminate the Blues.
Overall, FM22 predicts that if Chelsea were to make a move for Casemiro, the midfielder could help the club clinch a Champions League trophy, but the experienced Brazilian may not be a regular starter in the squad. Kante and Kovacic started ahead of Casemiro in the simulation as they averaged higher ratings, suggesting the 30-year-old may not be the perfect fit for the Blues' midfield, but he could still play a big part.
Do you think Chelsea should try and sign Casemiro this summer? Let us know in the comments.
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