Despite the fact that the Blues are making waves on their USA pre-season tour. They are close to signing Elye Wahi from Montpellier in Ligue 1.
According to several reports, the West London club have advanced in talks to sign the 20-year-old French forward. They want to keep preparing for the future.
Chelsea have reportedly scheduled another meeting with Montpellier. Of course, Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali are hell-bent on getting the player’s signature.
According to L’Equipe, Atletico Madrid have officially contacted Montpellier because of Wahi. However, the Blues are leading the race to sign him.
Nevertheless, Chelsea would make an offer of €32 million for the 20-year-old French striker. And the player wants to join the Blues family.
Meanwhile, the West London club will reportedly loan him out to Strasbourg this season. Of course, they are now co-owners of the French side.
Elye Wahi is indeed a talented striker. He made waves and headlines at Montpellier in all competitions last campaign, showing his worth in the world of football.
The French youngster scored 4 goals in a single Ligue 1 game against Lyon last season. He looks like a massive addition to the Blues family.
With the likes of Nicolas Jackson, Armando Broja, and Kendry Páez. Elye would have to fight for his place at Chelsea in the future, considering his position as a striker.
Elye Wahi stats in Ligue 1 (2022-2023)
33 games
19 goals
5 assists
2 penalties won
30% conversion rate
G/A every 105 minutes
Of course, this explains why many European clubs are interested in him. He’s a goal-machine, scoring 19 goals for Montpellier in the league last campaign.
The West London club don’t usually play with a standard No.9. However, Nicolas Jackson has literally changed the narrative, having watched him during the pre-season.
Chelsea are still linked with many central-forwards this summer transfer window. But they are expected to stick with the 22-year-old Senegalese striker.
Also, they have Armando Broja, and Christopher Nkunku, who can play as strikers. Therefore, Elye will head to Strasbourg on loan, if he joins the Premier League side.
Who are the teenagers with most Ligue goals?
- Kylian Mbappé – 41 goals
- Yannick Stopyra – 22 goals
- Elye Wahi – 20 goals
- Karim Benzema – 18 goals
- Laurent Roussey – 18 goals
At the age of 20, the Frenchman has already broken Karim Benzema’s record. Of course, he has a great future ahead of him in the world of football.
Chelsea’s scouting team are frankly, doing a massive job at the club. They keep gathering reinforcements, preparing for the future of the club in Europe.
Who is Elye Wahi?
The 20-year-old striker was born in Courcouronnes, which is a part of Paris. However, he was birthed into an Ivorian family, starting his football career.
Elye joined Cean in 2016, playing two years at the club. Amazingly, he scored 89 goals in one championship for the U-17 side, announcing himself in football.
Unfortunately, he was expelled from the club in February 2018, because of school concerns. But offers arrive from Premier League sides, wanting to get his signature.
However, the 20-year-old central-forward chose to stay in France. As a result, he joined Montpellier in Ligue 1.
In 2020, he continued his adventure with the first-team, making his Ligue 1 debut against Metz. And he actually has qualities as a striker.
Surprisingly, Wahi scored his first goal for Montpellier against Monaco. Apparently, he has spent his entire football career in France.
The French youngster had a nice story, growing up in the world of football. And he’s most likely to arrive at Stamford Bridge this summer.
Elye Wahi’s strengths and weaknesses
There are many reasons why Chelsea are hell-bent on signing the 20-year-old Frenchman. They believe he will be a top striker in the future.
Meanwhile, the French youngster ticks all the boxes as a central-forward. Despite his age, he has enough qualities, to have room for improvement.
Finishing is one of Wahi’s strongest skills. Even though he’s just 20-year-old, the player is very clinical in front of goal, scoring 19 goals last season.
Unlike other strikers, the Frenchman doesn’t miss it in front of goal. He’s somewhat of a nightmare for goalkeepers, regardless of his age.
Another strength is his versatility, his ability to play very well on both flanks. Of course, that will give the Blues enough legs up front.
Obviously, the West London club have been signing versatile players nowadays. It’s believed that they can be backups in different positions up front.
Despite the fact that he’s a central-forward. The Frenchman can attack from right, left, and even as an attacking midfielder. His footwork always gives him an advantage.
Elye’s box movement is excellent. He usually prefers chasing havoc inside the opponent’s box. And that gives him a lot of goals.
Of course, he scored 4 goals in a single Ligue 1 game last season, and it was against Lyon. That shows how he does commit himself inside the opposition’s box.
Also, pace and acceleration. As a striker, Elye Wahi has the ability to carry the ball and run. His running and ball-carrying abilities go hand-in-hand.
In the event of a counterattack, the Frenchman is very dangerous. He usually puts his running prowess into action, carrying the ball towards the opponent’s territory.
Work rate is another strength to consider with regards to the French youngster. He’s a workaholic on the pitch, chasing the ball, left, right, and center.
Just like Wout Weghorst, Elye never got tired of running, chasing the ball. He does add an extra leg to the team’s performance, contributing massively.
Wahi is also good in link-up play. At least he has that in common with Nicolas Jackson, the Blues new signing from Villarreal in La Liga.
Speaking of Chelsea’s friendly against Brighton Albion. Mykhailo Mudryk was able to score a goal, because of his link-up play with Nicolas Jackson.
The 20-year-old central-forward links up with his teammates very well. And that’s another strongest skills that places the player above his mates in football.
As regards the player’s biggest characteristics. Positioning is another thing to consider. Wahi’s intelligence in front of goal is second to none, he usually places himself very well inside the opponent’s box.
Weaknesses
Unfortunately, Elye Wahi has many weaknesses as a striker. However, he has enough room for improvement, considering his age in the world of football.
The Frenchman’s defensive awareness is very bad. Despite the fact that he’s a workaholic on the pitch, he’s poor defensively.
Of course, he does drop deep into the midfield, connecting with his teammates. However, he doesn’t have any sense of tackling or intercepting.
Also, Elye is poor at aerial dueling. He doesn’t have enough capacity to battle for the ball in the air, perhaps because of his age.
However, these shortcomings can be improved under Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine gaffer is known for bringing out the best in young players.
Apparently, the 20-year-old Frenchman is a central-forward. Unfortunately, he is bad at winning balls, which actually results in fouls against him.
What position does Elye Wahi play?
Naturally, the French youngster plays as a central-forward. He has been playing that position from Cean, early days of his career.
He’s more like a modern striker, fond of dropping deep into the midfield. Elye is a standard No.9, ideally fits into Mauricio Pochettino’s style of play.
At the same time, Wahi can play as a left- and right-winger. He does rely on his dribbling prowess, making ways for himself inside the opposition’s territory.
His versatility allows him to play as a striker, a right-winger, and a left-winger. He can add more legs to the team’s offensive performance.
Elye Wahi’s style of play
The 20-year-old Frenchman is an all-around central-forward. Which means, he has the ability to attack from any angle on the pitch.
Most importantly, he likes to attack or maneuver from the left-wing. The player loves to have enough space around him, to attack the opponent’s box.
Despite the fact that finishing is considered to be his biggest strength. Elye likes to make short passes, making himself available to receive them from his teammates.
As regards his dribbling prowess, Wahi likes to cut inside the opponent’s box. He actually plays as a central-forward like an attacker.
Also, the Frenchman loves to attack the space behind defenders and run them off. His off-the-ball movement usually helps him up front.
Even though he’s a striker. The player often uses his movements to create space for his teammates. However, he does depend on his finishing prowess.
Speaking of his athleticism, he makes himself too hot to handle for the defenders. As a result, he does have enough space to shoot from a distance.
Despite his poor defensive awareness. The French youngster loves to track back, helping his teammates balance the team’s overall performance.
As regards his intelligence in front of goals. He often makes himself available, considering his positioning prowess. That’s why he usually commits himself to the opponent’s box.
In the case of playing against top opponents. The 20-year-old striker likes to link up with his teammates, rendering the defenders useless on the pitch.
Regarding the player’s style of play. He’s a combination of Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappé, meaning, he’s most likely to become a top striker in the future.