Chelsea look set to confirm Tosin Adarabioyo as the first signing for head coach Enzo Maresca – but what can fans expect from the former Fulham centre-back?
Adarabioyo looks set to make the switch across west London to Stamford Bridge following the expiration of his contract at Fulham.
The 26-year-old was highly regarded by a number of clubs, with Chelsea beating off competition from Manchester United and Newcastle to secure the defender’s signature.
But his place in the starting XI is far from certain as Maresca looks to impart a new style of play and get to grips with a bloated squad that includes a host of centre-backs.
Who is Tosin Adarabioyo ?
At just five years old, Adarabioyo was snapped up by the Manchester City academy where he progressed through the age groups.
The centre-back was highly regarded by City, and even earned the praise of manager Pep Guardiola, but struggled to break into the first team despite a few appearances in cup competitions.
Loans in the Championship with West Brom and Blackburn Rovers gave him his first significant taste of senior football before he was snapped up by Fulham for a measly £2million fee following their promotion to the Premier League.
Since then, Adarabioyo has been an ever-present part of the Fulham squad, excelling under Marco Silva as the west London club established themselves as a stable top-flight team.
However, a failure to agree terms on a new contract left the door open for a departure from Craven Cottage this summer, with Chelsea stepping in to secure his services.
Why have Chelsea signed him?
Standing at 6 ft 5 in, Adarabioyo provides a welcome blend of physical defensive attributes and ball-playing capabilities. His height makes him a dominant figure aerially, but he is also able to use his pace to make interceptions and tackles in recovery.
On the ball, Adarabioyo possesses a good range of passing, perhaps a credit to his time in the City academy, with former Fulham boss Marco Silva heralding his importance to his now former side’s style of play.
‘He is a key player for us. He is one of the leaders in our dressing room and we need these to step in in the right moments,’ Silva said of Adarabioyo in December last year.
‘Tosin is a special player for us, I can’t hide that situation. The way he can defend the box but also on the ball he is a special player for me, the way I want to play, the way he can build [from the back].’
Will he suit Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea tactics?
Maresca’s possession-heavy style of play should have Chelsea set-up to be defensively solid, with his Leicester side conceding the fewest number of goals in the Championship last season.
On the ball, Adarabioyo will be required to play a key part in the build-up of attacks form the back, combining with the goalkeeper but also the inverted full-backs who will come infield to support the recycling of possession.
The inverted nature of Maresca’s full-backs may give Chelsea’s centre-backs extra assistance in defensive transition but their high-line will mean they will need to be switched on and wary of opposition’s threat on the counter.
In that regard, Adarabioyo’s pace and ball-playing capabilities may explain Chelsea’s decision to bring him to Stamford Bridge, but it may not be all easy-going for the 26-year-old.
Expectation will be high for the centre-back – and Chelsea more broadly – to hit the ground running under new boss Maresca and Adarabioyo will no doubt be aware of the countless other centre-backs that have failed to live up to expectations at Stamford Bridge.
Furthermore, despite arriving in the summer, he could be forced to work his way through a logjam of other centre-backs to become a regular starter. Thiago Silva has already left, and Trevor Chalobah may soon follow the Brazilian out the door, but the Blues still have a host of alternatives.
Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi remain at the club, while young duo Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana look ready-made for Maresca’s possession style when fully fit. Alongside that quartet Adarabioyo represents a solid addition, but he may have his work cut out for him to make himself a regular starter at Stamford Bridge.
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