The Big Numbers – Gameweek 22

This, and not in shape at all. Too much partying in Paris...

This is a common misconception, he's got some end product, and in fact arguably more efficiently in PSG than in Napoli:

Blanc era at PSG has been his most efficient time. His shots/90 almost halved when he moved from Serie A to Ligue 1, but in first two Blanc seasons his goals/90 were still about the same and even better as at Napoli. So, he shot loudly less, but at way better conversion rate, in fact an outstanding 20% rate (L1&CL). In Ancelotti's PSG, he had his best goals/90 ever - if you only look at the CL matches, but that's a very small sample. He scored 0.8/90 during 9 matches CL run which is Messiesque. Far from "not having end product".

However, I agree that there's a problem that while he does tactically correctly everything that his coach wants (a big plus and the reason why managers love him) when he should make a decision of his own he often gets it wrong.

In short, he's a good dribbler and passer, excellent finisher, and is a relentless runner and never shies from his defensive work, but he shoots when he should pass and dribbles when he should shoot and so on. Kind of painful to watch, because he clearly can do a lot well but most of the time ends up frustrating you.

Imo very good player who has served his team well and would have served any team well, but I have one worry about him. He is a proper winger and is past the winger peak age now. He's never going to accomplish his peak level dribbles and runs anymore. maybe for one or two matches, but then will always fade. This has already started to show.

I think the best example are his dribbling numbers exactly. This is what he did most at Napoli, for tactical reasons as it was a counter attack team compared to PSG that is a dominating possession team, but it also was the "dribbler peak age". He completed between 2 and 3 dribbles per 90, from 5 to 6 tries, with rate from 45% to 55%. At his best season that got him the transfer to PSG, he completed 3 out of 5.3 tries per 90, with 56% rate. At PSG he's tried about 3-3.5 dribbles per match and complete 1.4-1.5 of them, with a 40%-45% dribble success rate. Totals have come down, but rates have been fine for a wing player and haven't come much down then, and the little change that there is can be partly contributed to the fact that now he has to play against deep lying defences, so it's more difficult to get past the defender when you can't run at them with pace; and partly to an observation he just overachieved that one season. That can happen. This season, the sample is small, but he has only completed 1 dribble in Ligue 1. That's awful.

So there's a doubt he's still got it in him. He might have to reinvent himself. Maybe as a CM, or even as a striker. This is counter-intuitive to all those who think he can't score, but they're simply wrong. His finishing is fine. Another option would be to play a defensive winger à la Grosskreutz. He could still run for every loose ball, for some while, but probably not most matches of the season, and not many seasons any more.

Hope that ramble is of some use. At least you should be better informed of him if he joins Chelsea.

By the way, I don't imagine they're signing him to reinvent him as a striker. No hope of that.