Chelsea linked Premier League star in bottom 10% of players in Europe for key defensive stat | OneFootball

Murillo has once again been linked with Chelsea, with the Blues rumoured to be considering a summer move.

The links connecting Chelsea with Nottingham Forest defender Murillo just won’t go away.

They’ve bubbled up again today, and don’t seem to be going anywhere.

The Brazilian is a really solid player, and has adapted well on the Premier League.

But according to FotMob’s numbers, he has a major weakness too – he’s in the bottom 10% of central defenders in Europe’s top 5 leagues for headed duels.

He’s great on the ball, and even has an awesome shot on him, but doesn’t dominate the box in the way we’d want an elite defender to do.

Chelsea wait to see what happens with Forest future

Murillo arrives for a Nottingham Forest match. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

Given he’s still just 23, we can really see this deal happening, but it would really depend on Nottingham Forest’s situation.

If they are relegated, there will be a major fire sale, and the €65.6m valued defended would likely be available at a reasonable price. But if they stay up, Forest are going to do all they can to keep him, and it’s hard to see Chelsea justifying a big spend on a defender when they already have so many on their books.

Without doubt, though, there is some smoke around this one…

In other news…

Cole Palmer has seen his form improving steadily in the last few games, and he’s now in the top 5 in the Premier League for two very important attacking stats.

Chelsea also have been linked with Juventus defender Gleison Bremer. His stats are great, but at his age and price it’s just not a deal we can see happening.

Pedro Neto’s move to the middle proved a success against Hull, and we’re interested to see what else Liam Rosenior has up his sleeve.