Following rumours last week, Chelsea are now reportedly ‘considering‘ a move for Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo this summer, with the Blues said to be monitoring his situation.
It was reported by The Times last week that Ronaldo had asked United to let him leave this summer if a ‘satisfactory offer‘ was to be received for the 37-year-old.
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly reportedly met Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes to discuss a potential move for the star recently, and now, The Athletic’s David Ornstein is reporting that the Blues are ‘considering‘ a move for Ronaldo.
According to Ornstein, Chelsea are not ruling out a move for the 37-year-old as they monitor his situation.
It’s reported that Thomas Tuchel ‘admires‘ Ronaldo as talks between Mendes and Boehly continue.
After multiple outgoings already at Chelsea, including Romelu Lukaku and more expected, Chelsea could be busy this summer.
Ronaldo is the latest name to be linked with the Blues after Neymar, Raheem Sterling and Matthijs de Ligt.
If Ronaldo was to make the shock move to Stamford Bridge in the summer, what sort of impact could he have on Tuchel’s side? Could the 37-year-old help the Blues win a trophy?
We simulated the 2022-23 season with Ronaldo in the Blues‘ squad, and this is what happened.
To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2022 editor to arrange for Ronaldo to join Chelsea at the start of the summer transfer window, using FM22 to run the simulation.
This is what Ronaldo’s in-game profile looks like on FM22. Ronaldo is still one of the best strikers in world football despite entering his late 30s. The Portuguese superstar has maintained impressive physical attributes late into his career, whilst his mental and technical attributes still better the majority of players.
Ronaldo had a stellar debut season for the Blues scoring 23 goals and registering four assists in 48 appearances in all competitions.
The six-time Ballon d’Or winner finished second in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot, only behind Mohamed Salah, scoring 19 goals in 36 league games.
Ronaldo averaged a match rating of 7.22 in all competitions, ranking him as the third-best performer for Tuchel’s side in the 2022/23 season, only behind Kai Havertz and N’Golo Kante.
Ronaldo averaged a shot on target percentage of 47% in all competitions, highlighting the Portugal international’s clinical ability in front of goal as every other shot forced the goalkeeper into a save or resulted in a goal.
At the end of the 2022-23 season, Football Manager 2022 put together an overall best Chelsea XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics.
New signings Ronaldo and Sebastian Coates featured in Chelsea’s best XI for the 2022/23 season.
How did the Blues perform in the league and cup competitions after signing Ronaldo in the summer transfer window? Let’s take a look.
Tuchel’s side finished third in the Premier League, only behind Liverpool and Man City, as the Blues qualified for the Champions League.
Chelsea closed the gap to the top two, finishing just 12 points behind the champions whilst being 16 points ahead of Ronaldo’s former side United.
Tuchel’s side finished the Premier League season with the second-best defensive record and third-best attacking record, as Ronaldo and Havertz formed a strong partnership in attack.
Compared to the 2021/22 season, the Blues finished in the same league position but with eight more points and a slightly worse goal difference.
Chelsea finished the season with two trophies, too, winning the Carabao Cup and Europa League.
The Blues went on a strong run to beat Ronaldo’s former side Man United in the Europa League final, whilst the Portuguese superstar scored the equaliser in the Carabao Cup final as Tuchel’s side beat Man City 2-1 at Wembley.
Overall, this Football Manager simulation predicts that if Chelsea were to sign Ronaldo, he could still play a key role for Tuchel’s side scoring 23 goals in 48 appearances in all competitions.
Would you like to see Cristiano Ronaldo sign for Chelsea this summer? Let us know in the comments!
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