Chelsea want Derby wonderkid, things to know about the youngster

Bengaluru, May 5: If reports in England are to believed, Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has set his sights on raiding the club he formerly managed Derby County in the summer.

The Derbyshire-based club boast one of the best academies in English football having produced some incredible talents over the years. And, the latest Derby County youngster to have made quite an impression for himself is Max Bird and it is claimed that Lampard is keen on signing the 19-year-old in the summer.

As per reports, Chelsea have a £4.8m offer on the table for the player but Derby are said to be determined to pocket around £5m for the services of the youngster. However, with the financial impact the coronavirus crisis has had on football, teams know they may have to sell at a cheaper price than what they would have liked. Here, we will take a closer look at the youngster.

Lampard knows him well

Frank Lampard knows the 19-year-old really well from his time as the manager of Derby County. It was none other than Lampard himself who saw the potential of the youngster at an early age and gave him his debut. He played a total number of eight times under the management of Lampard and thoroughly impressed the current Chelsea boss. Phillip Cocu, who is himself a very reputed manager, has a reputation of developing young talents and he has used Bird frequently this season which shows the immense potential of the youngster.

Versatility

For a player who is just 19 years of age, Bird boasts an immense amount of versatility. So far in his youth and senior career combined, the 19-year-old has played the majority of games as a number six who likes to sit deep and dictate the tempo of the game. He has also featured as a number eight in a box to box midfield role and is pretty confident when playing at the heart of the defence as well. Such a incredibly gifted and versatile player would certainly be a welcome addition to Chelsea and can prove to be a part of the youth revolution at Stamford Bridge.

Style of play

Bird has been mostly deployed in a double pivot in a 4-2-3-1 formation alongside Wayne Rooney, Duane Holmes or Andrew Shinnie and has impressed every time he has been on the pitch. He is always willing to drop deep to get the ball off Derby’s goalkeeper and sprays the ball across the pitch.

At times, he almost drops deep to create a back-three allowing the full-backs Craig Forsyth and Jayden Bogle to burst forward to hurt the opponents. He is always willing to get on the ball and has an eye for a pass too which is evident from his 86% passing accuracy. In the role he is usually deployed in, he is required to play simple short passes rather than risky ones but he does try the fancy things when he gets the opportunity. He has played 1.2 key passes and 2.4 long balls per 90 minutes this season which shows that he is quite creative for a number six.

Defensive ability

Despite his frame of 6 feet, Bird is not a typical imposing defensive midfielder. Rather, he is quite passive who uses his intelligence and positioning rather than his physique. He hardly charges around the pitch making crunching challenges on the opponents. He averages just 1.5 tackles per 90 minutes while his interceptions and blocks per 90 minutes are both 0.8. He is always at the right place at the right time thanks to his footballing intelligence and therefore, the dirty things are hardly required. He has also won 1 aerial duel per game while losing 0.8 which shows that he is quite decent in the air.

Just 19 years of age, Bird still has a lot to learn and if he can continue his development, he can certainly prove to one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League in the future. And for just £4.8m, he can prove to be a huge bargain for Chelsea.