Chelsea could be in luck with their pursuit of the transfer of Montpellier striker Elye Wahi as his club need to sell in order to survive, according to Jonathan Johnson.
Writing in the latest edition of his exclusive CaughtOffside column, the Ligue 1 expert made it clear that Wahi is probably not ready to make the step up to playing for a team like Chelsea straight away, but that the Blues and other suitors might look at signing him and then sending him out on loan for a while first.
Wahi has impressed as one of the finest young players in France, but Johnson admits there are also some potential issues regarding his character, so it’s unclear if top sides will really want to gamble on the 20-year-old at this stage.
Chelsea could do well to ensure they win the race for this top talent as it sounds like other clubs are also interested, but an initial deal to send him out on loan could be a smart move, while Johnson’s claims about Montpellier should also mean he won’t necessarily end up costing too much.
“Elye Wahi is making headlines as Chelsea have supposedly been in talks over signing him, but I don’t think he’s quite ready to make that step up straight to a club like Chelsea. It could also be that Chelsea sign him and then loan him to Strasbourg, that sort of arrangement wouldn’t surprise me as it looked like it might happen with David Datro Fofana, though he’s now gone to Union Berlin instead,” Johnson said.
“Wahi is an interesting talent who’s just had a prolific spell with Montpellier, scoring 19 goals in 33 Ligue 1 games last season. He’s still only 20 but he’s now firmly on the radar of some of Europe’s top clubs.
“There are, however, some questions about his character and I think those clubs want to see if he can maintain this form consistently. Equally, Montpellier are one of those clubs who have to sell to survive, and there’s no guarantee that his stock will get any higher than this – if he were to start next season more slowly then clubs might be able to swoop in and get him for a fraction of what he might go for if he moves this summer.
“Still, I don’t think he’s ready to be a starter at a top Premier League club like Chelsea. The competition will be very fierce and they’ll want to get themselves back into European contention. The interest is there and I think we’ve also seen links with others like Tottenham, but I’m sure any move would be done with a view to loaning him out for one or two seasons and then see where he’s at.
“Make no mistake, though, he’s a big prospect and one I think a lot of clubs will be looking at in the next few weeks.”