Marco Veratti has been a strong performer for PSG over the years, winning five Ligue 1 titles since his arrival from Pescara since 2012.

Last season wasn’t the Italian’s finest in the French capital.

It’s not that I think he has lost his talent or was particularly poor, it’s more that he was going through the motions. I think he’s done all he can with PSG and it’s time he moved on.

Injuries hampered his season with the Parisiens last term but he also picked up far too many yellow cards and was sent off in a vital Champions League tie against champions Real Madrid.

The Italian was linked with a huge transfer last summer to FC Barcelona and that probably turned his head too.

Barca legend Xavi praised the PSG midfielder, recently saying:

“I would say that in today’s football, the one that resembles me the most is Verratti,” 

“Technically, he has everything, he does not lose the ball, he is able to make the pass.”

After his average year and with the French giants needing to bring in more funds to keep UEFA’s Financial Fair Play people happy, maybe the time is right for a club to come in and woo Verratti away from Paris.

It’s been mentioned that Barcelona are no longer interested, if true then I think a club like Chelsea should move fast and test PSG’s resolve.

The Blues managerial situation is still up in the air.

Current boss Antonio Conte hasn’t been dismissed as of yet, but it seems likely to happen in the coming weeks. Fellow Italian Maurizio Sarri has been heavily linked with the role, while Luis Enrique has also been mentioned as a possible successor to Conte.

No matter which of the three is the Chelsea manager, come pre-season, they’d all like to see a player of Verratti’s calibre in their squad.

Chelsea currently have a slick passing deep-lying playmaker in the shape of Cesc Fabregas but the Spaniard doesn’t have the legs he used to have and question marks surround his ability to play two games in a week. Cesc, who wasn’t selected for Spanish World Cup squad, has been linked with a move to La Liga side Valencia.

Verratti would be able to take on Fabregas’ passing duties and his ability to make assists. In the past season, Marco made five assists and had a 91% passing success rate (not bad for an average season).

Having N’Golo Kante in beside him would be a dream come true for Verratti. The twenty-five year old could watch on as Kante ran around winning the ball back and giving it to Marco, who could then find the forwards with a fine pass.

He’ll certainly need to curb his disciplinary issues. He’s heading into his peak years and he needs to become more reliable and not to be constantly booked. Whether it’s due to frustration or immaturity, the Italian midfield maestro needs to understand that he let’s his team down with such behaviour and it needs to change.

The time is right for Marco Verratti to leave the PSG bubble and show off his qualities in a new league. He probably needs a move to revitalise his career and hit his full potential.

Barcelona always seemed to be his likely destination but that looks to be a fantasy now. A move to London and Chelsea could put him back on track.

 

Posted on May 28th, 2018 by scott
Filed under: Article