When Chelsea decided to let Filipe Luis go back to Atletico, it was expected that Chelsea will try to buy a replacement.
Chelsea has decided to buy Abdul Baba Rahman, as a player who is going to replace Luis. Given that the first choice left-back is Cesar Azpilicueta, is Baba Rahman good enough for Chelsea?
Baba Rahman is 21 years old Ghanian player. He started his playing career in Ghana, and eventually came to Germany to play for Greuther Furth. He stayed there for two seasons, before signing for Augsburg where he is currently playing.
Baba Rahman had a phenomenal rise in the past couple of years. He was playing in Ghanian league only 3 years ago. Now, he is going to play in the Premier League for one of the biggest football clubs in the world. That kind of feat is difficult to achieve.
Given that Filipe Luis couldn't rival Cesar Azpilicueta, is Baba Rahman good enough to put Azpilicueta on the bench?
With the help of Squawka, I have decided to compare the two players statistically, and see who comes on top.
Rahman had 21 tackles more than Azpilicueta, which means that he is better at tackling. He also managed to win 77 aerial duels against Azpilicueta's 38 duels. This means that Rahman is a lot more effective in the air than Azpilicueta. This is very strange, given that Rahman is only one centimeter taller than Azpilicueta. I guess he is simply better at jumping.
Rahman is also more aggressive than Azpilicueta, because he committed 37 fouls, while Azpilicueta committed only 19 fouls. Rahman was also better in interceptions than Azpilicueta (83-59). This would mean that Rahman is better at anticipating passes from opposing players.
Both players had equal amount of blocks, while Azpilicueta had eight more clearances. Rahman is also more error prone than Azpilicueta. He made three defensive errors, while Azpilicueta didn't made any.
Azpilicueta had an overall better defensive score, although he was worse in most of defensive actions. There isn't a big difference in defensive score, however there is a big difference in possession score. Rahman had a terrible possession score of -233, while Azpilicueta had a score of 63. This means that Rahman is a lot worse in ball possession, which could be a worry for Chelsea. Because Rahman has low possession score, Azpilicueta has a lot higher total score (564>265).
Rahman is better in most of defensive responsibilities, but his weak possession score makes Rahman a weaker player than Azpilicueta.
I highly doubt that Rahman is going to be able to rival Azpilicueta in Chelsea team. Rahman is, more likely, to get Filipe Luis position on the bench. This means that Rahman is currently NOT good enough for Chelsea.
To sum up, Chelsea have gotten themselves a new left-back. Filipe Luis went back to Atletico Madrid, so Chelsea bought Abdul Baba Rahman as his replacement. Rahman is better than Azpilicueta in some ways, however he is weaker overall. Rahman might surprise, and became the first choice left back at Chelsea, but his stats show that he is currently not good enough for Chelsea.
Source: Witty Futty