Marina Granovskaia given 'green light' to make Thomas Tuchel's £23m January transfer

Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing Everton left-back Lucas Digne. With Ben Chilwell out for the rest of the season, Blues director Marine Granovskaia is looking for replacements for the defender. Digne is also said to prefer a move to the reigning European champions, meaning Thomas Tuchel has been given plenty of encouragement to continue his pursuit. Daniel Childs was joined by football scouting and analysis writer David Hughes live on the Carefree Chelsea 'Bridge Breakdown' show to delve into what Digne could offer Tuchel. Hughes started the discussion by explaining why Everton would be open to allowing such a talented player to leave in the mid-season window.

DH: "First and foremost, why he's suddenly available isn't down to a drop in form, he has simply had a falling out with the manager.   "Throughout his time at Everton he has been an offensive full-back. He has basically been Everton's key creator on that side of the pitch under [Marco] Silva and Carlo Ancelotti. Then [Rafael] Benítez comes in and says he wants him to play more defensively, which he does initially, but around that same time his form does seem to drop below his standards.   "He's grown frustrated and had an argument with Benitez saying 'I feel like you're restricting what I can do for the team and what I can offer'.   "Benitez, notoriously, is quite stubborn and he took issue with this and showed him the door.   "He is a top, top left-back. Even at Everton, I think he could've been operating for Champions League sides but they tied him down.   "At Everton last season, in terms of goal-creating actions he ranked second only behind James Rodriguez. In terms of shot-creating actions, he ranked third behind Richarlison and James. That captures how much of a creative full-back he is.   "With the issues at Chelsea, he is an absolute perfect profile to match Chilwell's and come into the side.   "The only grey area is that Everton have spent money and they're banking on the sale of him."

Source - football.london Join us on Telegram!/ Follow us on Twitter!

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