Who is Rayan Cherki and why do Chelsea want the talented teen?

 

A number of renowned attackers have come through the ranks at Lyon. Karim Benzema, Alexandre Lacazette and Nabil Fekir were all on L'OL's academy books at one point or another before exploding onto the scene, yet there is an argument to be made that Rayan Cherki is the most talented player the club's youth system has produced. This hasn't been lost on interested parties. Lyon are determined to keep hold of Cherki, but with big spending Chelsea sniffing around, that'll prove easier said than done. 

 

Chelsea are in the midst of their much-needed clear out. Gone are Mason Mount, Edouard Mendy, Kai Havertz and Kalidou Koulibaly, to name four, while Christian Pulisic is the latest to exit Stamford Bridge, the American following Ruben Loftus-Cheek to AC Milan. The Blues are trimming the fat on their bloated squad, but still need to add reinforcements to cover their losses. With the departures of both Mount and Pulisic, Cherki has emerged as a top target for Mauricio Pochettino's side. 

 

Understandably, Lyon are reluctant to do business with the blues for the 19-year-old. While Cherki started just 21 of a possible 38 league games last season, the teenager was a revelation in the final third, providing six assists and scoring four goals. Like Mount, Cherki is a versatile performer in attack. A bulk of his starts last season came in the number 10 role, but he is adept at playing on the right or left flank, and this positional interchangeability would be a key asset for Mauricio Pochettino, should Chelsea convince Lyon to sell. 

 

Pochettino is expected to use a 4-2-3-1 setup at Stamford Bridge next season, and while he does have an abundance of wingers and a new signing to operate in the number 10 role - Christopher Nkunku - he doesn't have a player of Cherki's ability combined with the flexibility he'd provide the Argentine following Mount's move to Manchester United. 

 

No matter where Cherki operates, he's able to pry apart opposition defences. One of his primary assets is his ability to glide past players in a key area of the pitch and having ranked fourth for successful dribbles per 90 (3.8), it's easy to see why he has developed a statistically calculated WhoScored strength of 'dribbling'. His close control in tight-knit situations is a stand out quality, and helps open up angles in the final third. This was perhaps best evidenced in Lyon's 3-1 win over Monaco back in May. 

 

Cherki received the ball in the Monaco box and performed an inch-perfect roulette to sit youngster Chrislain Matsima down. The teenager's resulting effort was stopped by Alexander Nubel, though the rebound fell nicely for Maxence Caqueret to put Lyon ahead that evening, and was a small glimpse of Cherki's immense talent with the ball at his feet. 

 

This is key for Cherki, who is not only a fine dribbler, but boasts a fine end product to his game. While he ended the campaign with just six assists, this shouldn't be a stick with which to beat the France U21 star. Indeed, Cherki finished 2022/23 second for chances created per 90 (3.2) in Ligue 1 last season, and has seen the in-demand attacker develop a statistically calculated WhoScored strength of 'key passes'. 

 

 

He's well on the way to super-stardom, which goes some way to explaining Lyon's reluctance to entertain any offers for Cherki. The French side have already lost the promising Malo Gusto to the Blues, and they'd be steadfastly against losing another talented youngster to the west London outfit. There are reports circulating that Lyon need to sell players to raise funds after it was announced that the club’s transfer activity and wage bill will be monitored by French football’s financial watchdog, though these rumours are a little wide of the mark. 

 

Lyon may yet appeal the decision by the Direction Nationale du Controle de Gestion's ruling, yet even so; the French side supposedly do not need to sell their prized stars to raise funds, and this is a boost for the Ligue 1 side. Nevertheless, money talks. Castello Lukeba is subject to interest from RB Leipzig and Chelsea, while Romain Faivre is on the cusp of a move to Bournemouth, so a number of Lyon's players are seemingly up for grabs. 

 

Cherki, though, is a level above the pair, and after an impressive campaign at the Groupama Stadium, the willingness to rebuff any efforts from Chelsea to sign their prized asset is completely understandable. Yet if any team can convince Lyon to sell, it is this free-spending Blues outfit. The only way is up for Cherki, and Chelsea fans must be hoping they can witness the Frenchman blossom into a world class star at Stamford Bridge.

Who is Rayan Cherki and why do Chelsea want the talented teen?