- EXCLUSIVE from Graeme Bailey
Chelsea scouts were very busy this weekend and were closely watching young defender Leny Yoro as he put in another top performance in Ligue 1.
HITC Football understands that members of Chelsea’s scouting team were in attendance at Lille vs Montpellier.
Montpellier striker Akor Adams and Lllle forward Jonathan David were two players that they were keeping a close eye on.
However, HITC Football believes that the main reason they were in attendance was to watch young centre-back Leny Yoro.
The 18-year-old centre-back has previously been described as ‘extraordinary’ by Thierry Henry and put in another brilliant performance on Sunday.
Leny Yoro stars in front of Chelsea scouts
LOSC Lille are having a decent season in France, currently sitting three points behind Brest who occupy the final Champions League spot at the halfway stage of the season.
Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Montpellier will be slightly disappointing for Paulo Fonseca’s side considering their opposition are sitting comfortably in mid-table.
However, Lille went down to ten men just before half-time making their task all the more difficult.
Yoro stood up in front of Chelsea’s scouts though, helping his side keep an important clean sheet under difficult circumstances.
The teenager played all 90 minutes making four clearances, two interceptions and a single tackle.
He was only dribbled past once and made a single last-man tackle, while he only misplaced two of his 49 attempted passes.
Yoro could be the perfect Thiago Silva successor
Despite only being 18, Yoro already plays with a level of maturity expected of someone much older.
He’s a covering defender, rarely engaging in aerial and ground duels and instead preferring to assess the situation in front of him before engaging.
Like many young centre-backs, he’s already comfortable with the ball at his feet which would suit Mauricio Pochettino’s style.
Yoro is already a key player for Lille and has only missed one league match this season.
HITC Football reported earlier this month that Chelsea are firmly on the trail of Yoro and sending their scouts to watch him makes perfect sense.
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Alongside Yoro, Jonathan David and Akor Adams were both being closely watched yesterday.
They’ll be frustrated that Chelsea’s scouts witnessed a 0-0 draw and David in particular will be disappointed as Lille failed to have a single shot on target.
HITC Football understands that the Blues have been offered several forwards this month including Martin Braithwaite and Karim Benzema.
It’s an area that Chelsea know they need to improve going forward, especially if Armando Broja heads out before Thursday’s deadline.
However, the best move Chelsea can make this month is beating several top clubs in Europe to sign Yoro as long as their scouts approve.
Given the way he’s played this season, it’s hard to believe they’ve not been impressed.
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