JEREMIE BOGA
Chelsea’s predilection for stockpiling talented youngsters and repeatedly loaning them out has left many a player with a severe case of “out of sight, out of mind”. But at least the Marseille-born winger seems to have found the antidote in Serie A with Sassuolo, where he has emerged as a highly influential figure this season.
The 23-year-old only appeared in one first-team game for the London side – a cameo appearance as a substitute against Burnley on the opening day of the 2017-18 season
– and had to jump through all the usual loanee hoops, sent on secondment to Rennes in France, Spanish side Granada and Birmingham City in the English second tier.
Perhaps not surprisingly, none of the
Under the intelligent tutelage of Sassuolo coach Roberto De Zerbi he is quite clearly thinking more about his game
postings especially worked out.
In such a system young players are very much at risk of ending up on the missing list. They lose their bearings, they lose their form and when setbacks come knocking it’s hard to get back on track. Only the strong survive and full credit to Boga for successfully picking up the pieces since tip-toeing into Sassuolo in the summer of 2018.
If his inaugural season in EmiliaRomagna was a truncated affair – he spent the best part of three months on the sidelines after a tibia operation – his sophomore efforts this term have been the footballing equivalent of a firework display. Rapid rushes, goals and assists a gogo, and the sort of mazy dribbling which almost takes on the form of art. He says he developed his brilliance in one-on-one situations in never-ending kickabouts on the streets of his home town in the south of France.
He is now playing with more maturity, his decision-making is sharper and he has added variety to his modus operandi, combining more mobility and slick onetwos with the solo dashes. Under the intelligent tutelage of Sassuolo coach Roberto De Zerbi he is quite clearly thinking more about his game.
His best moment of the current season was undoubtedly an exquisite clipped finish in a 2-2 draw at champions Juventus in December. “This has to be one of my best moments with Sassuolo,”
he said afterwards. “Scoring against an icon like Buffon is a thrill.”
In fact, his renaissance has been so eye-catching that Chelsea are rumoured to be considering a €15million buy-back option. Others in the hunt include Napoli, Monaco and Everton.