The future is looking incredibly bright for Crystal Palace at the moment.
Following the arrival of Oliver Glasner last season, the Eagles have become one of the most entertaining teams to watch in the country, but with the transfer window now open, Steve Parish and Co have to do all they can to keep a hold of their star players while also adding a few more.
Unfortunately, Marc Guehi, following his impressive Euros showing, has been one of the latest names touted for an exit from Selhurst Park.
However, while losing the Englishman would be far from ideal, reports have revealed that they may be able to bring in the perfect replacement.
Crystal Palace transfer news
Alongside Guehi, Michael Olise has been heavily touted for a move away from South London over the last few weeks, and according to a report from The Sun earlier this week, Chelsea could offer defender Trevoh Chalobah as part of a player plus cash deal.
With the Frenchman's exit looking increasingly likely as more and more teams get linked to him, securing a reasonable fee and a player of Chalobah's quality simultaneously seems like a no-brainer.
Especially as TEAMtalk revealed that the South Londoners were interested in him earlier this year and the Telegraph reported that the Blues value him at £25m last month.
In all, it might not be the most exciting development for fans, but if Guehi and Olise leave the club this summer, bringing in a player of Chalobah's quality alongside a hefty pile of cash seems like a smart move.
How Chalobah compares to Guehi
Now, replacing Guehi at Palace is no small task, but luckily for Glasner and Co, Chalobah looks like a player who could take that task on.
Like the England star, the Chelsea ace is a right-footed centre-back and is just one year older at 24. However, one of the first apparent differences between the pair is that he is 6 foot 4 tall, whereas the man he could replace is just 6 feet.
While shorter defenders can occasionally be more effective than their taller teammates and rivals – just look at Lisandro Martínez – it is always a bonus when a centre-back can tower over most attackers.
Aside from their physical attributes, how do the pair stack up when you look at their underlying numbers?
Well, somewhat surprisingly, the Chelsea ace doesn't just hold his own, but he actually comes out ahead in most metrics.
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.02
0.05
Non-Penalty Goals
0.09
0.00
Progressive Passes
2.92
2.98
Progressive Passes Received
0.85
0.31
Shots
0.19
0.22
Goals per Shot
0.50
0.00
Shots on Target
0.19
0.00
Passing Accuracy
89.4%
86.9%
Live Passes
70.4
55.6
Tackles
1.51
1.24
Tackles Won
1.13
0.84
Blocks
0.75
0.98
Interceptions
0.75
0.80
Clearances
4.81
3.96
Ball Recoveries
4.34
5.33
Aerial Duels Won
1.79
1.29
For example, the Blues "monster", as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, scored more non-penalty goals, received more progressive passes, took more shots on target and scored more goals per shot, made substantially more live passes while maintaining better-passing accuracy, made and won more tackles, won more aerial duels and made more clearances, all per 90.
In his defence, the Eagles' star produces a higher non-penalty expected goal and assists figure, produces more progressive passes, takes more shots, makes more blocks and interceptions, and completes more ball recoveries, but that's it.
Now, if Chalobah played an entire season of first-team football at Selhurst Park, his underlying numbers would probably come down slightly, but they're undeniably impressive and suggest that he'd be a brilliant Guehi replacement for Glasner.
Therefore, even if the club don't sell Olise, they should look to sign the Chelsea defender anyway this summer. He looks that good.
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