Chelsea are looking to bolster their attacking options in the summer transfer window, and the latest name to come to their attention is Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma.
According to Football Insider, the London club are considering a move for the Japanese winger, after Brighton rejected a huge offer from Saudi Arabia in January. Mitoma has scored six goals and provided three assists in the Premier League this season – a better return than many of Chelsea’s other wingers such as Mykhailo Mudryk, Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho. Mitoma’s pace, skill and excellent dribbling ability have made him one of the most exciting attackers in the league.
However, the question is whether Chelsea, who are currently sixth in the Premier League, really need another winger? They have just signed Jadon Sancho on loan from Man United with an option to buy, Mudryk’s future is still unclear, and the club have also signed two young South American talents Kendry Paez and Estevao Willian – both promising attackers.
If the Mitoma deal goes through, it will not be the first time Chelsea have gutted Brighton. In recent years, they have spent big money to bring in Marc Cucurella, Robert Sanchez and Moises Caicedo. However, these contracts have not really brought about the results worthy of the money spent.
Brighton is famous for discovering and developing talent, then selling them on for high prices. If Chelsea want Mitoma, they will certainly have to pay a large fee – the Japanese player’s contract is until 2027, and Brighton will not easily let him go for cheap.
During his time at Tsukuba, Mitoma was selected to represent Japan at the 2017 and 2019 Universiade tournaments, as well as the 2018 Asian Games and the 2019 Toulon Tournament with the under-23 national team. Playing in the Kanto University Football League with Tsukuba, he was named to the All-League XI in his final three seasons while majoring in physical education. Additionally, Tsukuba appeared in the 2016 and 2017 Emperor’s Cup tournaments and made another run to the round of 16 in the latter edition, defeating J.League clubs YSCC Yokohama, Vegalta Sendai (for whom Mitoma scored a brace) and Avispa Fukuoka along the way. During his time at university, Mitoma also occasionally joined the Frontale senior team for training as a Specially Designated Player starting in his second year, appearing in a single J.League Cup match in 2019.
Another issue for Chelsea to consider is their financial situation and Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. The club has spent a lot of money in recent transfer windows and must find a way to balance the books. According to expert Connor Humm, the Stamford Bridge club may have to sell some players to avoid FFP violations if they want to spend money on Mitoma.
Mitoma is a quality player, but whether Chelsea need him or not is still a question mark. If Mudryk and Sancho do not show better form, adding Mitoma could be a sensible move. However, if Chelsea continue to buy players without a clear plan for how they will use them, they could make the same mistake as previous expensive but ineffective deals. Will Chelsea splash the cash on another Brighton player? Or is this just transfer talk?