Football is about moments of magic; a nutmeg, a deft touch to take the ball past a defender, and a goal from nothing to bring the stadium to life. You’ve probably heard every pundit in the country go on about how that never happens anymore.
There are still a few players that can produce those flashes, however, and few are more exciting that Como’s Nico Paz. At just 21, he’s arguably the best young talent outside of Europe’s elite clubs.
That won’t be the case for much longer. Real Madrid are said to have a RIDICULOUS €9 million buy-back clause that will become active this summer, but other clubs are ready to pounce too.
Several reports have linked Chelsea with a move for Paz. Here is why he would be better off snubbing a return to Madrid in favour of West London.
Where would Nico Paz fit in at Real Madrid?
Paz left Real Madrid in search of first-team opportunities, and he’s taken that chance with both hands under Cesc Fabregas at Como, returning to the Bernabéu, despite how good he is, would be a regression.
Xabi Alonso has a wealth of attacking options at his disposal. Playing in the number ten, where Paz is at his best, he has Jude Bellingham and Arda Guler, who are both further along than the Argentinian in their development, and would rightly be ahead of him.
Now Paz can play out on the right and has featured their several times for Como, but in the summer, Madrid signed fellow Argentinian wonderkid Franco Mastantuono for a reported €63.2 million. That’s a hefty investment and it’s unlikely they would push him down the pecking order for a player who isn’t really a right winger.
Fabregas has also stuck Paz in at the number nine at times. At Real Madrid, he would have the small matter of Kylian Mbappe to deal with. The Frenchman is arguably the best player in the world at the moment with 19 goals in 19 games. Paz won’t be getting in ahead of him.
The lure of playing for Real Madrid is undeniable, and one could hardly blame Paz if he succumbed to the emotion and returned, but from a purely footballing perspective, it would grind all the progress he’s made to a halt.
Why would Chelsea be the best option for Nico Paz?
Clubs across Europe’s top five leagues will be lining up around the block to sign Paz should he decide to leave Como, but it’s the Premier League sides that will have an advantage, mostly due to the financial pull.
Arsenal, Tottenham, and Man City have all been linked with Paz in the past, but they all spent pretty big money on new playmakers in the summer. Mikel Arteta’s side went with Eberechi Eze, Spurs pipped Chelsea to Xavi Simons, and City have Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki on their books.
Outside of Cole Palmer, who is admittedly a guaranteed starter for Chelsea when fit, Enzo Maresca’s side don’t have too many options at the number ten, in fact they ended up signings Facundo Buonanotte on loan from Brighton to help provide cover.
Maresca has made do with Palmer out of the side, using Enzo Fernandez as a box-crasher, with Andrey Santos playing further up than he’s comfortable with at times too. Joao Pedro is the man he’s trusted most, however, despite the fact he’s more of a nine-and-a-half.
Each of those players are good options, but not great, and Chelsea fans won’t want to hear it, but there will come a time when Palmer isn’t quite as productive in front of goal than he has been. Last season he went 18 games without a goal after all.
Having someone like Paz, a young lad joining a young side filled with other Argentina internationals, makes sense. Como would also get a lot more than the €9 million Real Madrid would have to fork out.
Verdict
Ultimately, Real Madrid hold all the cards here. It would take an incredible effort on Chelsea’s part to snatch Paz away from under their nose, especially considering the emotional attachment the player has with his old club.
Of the other clubs said to be interested, however, Cheslea would be the best option for the youngster.