7 things you may not know about Chelsea target Charles Aranguiz
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Chelsea look set to complete their first piece of business of the summer with Internacional’s Charles Aranguiz looking set to join the Premier League champions.
The Times are reporting that a move is nearly complete, and the Copa America winner could move to Stamford Bridge as soon as early next week.
While many have had glimpses of the 26-year-old when strutting his stuff for Chile recently, here are seven things you may not have known about the winger.
1. Aranguiz began his professional career at Cobreloa in the Chilean Premier Division in 2006.
He had some now well-known team-mates in the shape of Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez and former Wigan man Jean Beausejour.
Strangely enough, the club’s run of three straight titles came to an end the year before when the aforementioned Sanchez signed up, and they haven’t won one since.
- 2. Having joined Internacional for a fee thought to have been around £6m following a successful loan spell from Udinese, the Brazilian club could be set for a bumper profit.
If Chelsea have met the clubs asking price, they could be on for a £8m mark-up following just 15 appearances since arriving at the side permanently.
3. He’s proved something of a lucky charm for Internacional in his two years at the club.
Netting 10 goals in 52 appearances, Aranguiz’s influence on games has been easy to see with Nacao Vermelha not losing any of the matches that he found the net for the club.
- 4. The 36-capped player hasn’t even needed to find the net to give his side a top chance of coming out on top of late.
Of his last 16 competitive matches for Internacional and Chile, he has only been on the end of a defeat once.
5. Chelsea received five penalties in the Premier League last season, and could do far worse than handing any such opportunities in the season ahead to Aranguiz.
‘The Prince’, as he is known, knocked in during Chile’s penalty shootout in the Copa America Final against Argentina taking his record to 19 straight spot-kick successes.
Completing 86.2 per cent of his attempted passes for his club, he outperformed the likes of Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas in the completion stakes.
7. They’ve had Brazilians, Colombians, Argentineans and Peruvians but Aranguiz would become the first Chilean to represent Chelsea.
A total of 14 other clubs have sided a player from the nation, so Chelsea are somewhat lacking in that department.
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