Mike Maignan’s explosive ‘rant’ at France teammates proves why he’s the perfect signing for Chelsea

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Chelsea are now closing in on the signing of Mike Maignan from AC Milan, a deal they hope to have concluded in time for the Club World Cup.

Mike Maignan has been identified as Chelsea’s ideal upgrade for Robert Sanchez, a goalkeeper they’d now be willing to sell.

Chelsea hope to sign Maignan by Tuesday and the Blues might end up agreeing to a deal closer to AC Milan’s £20m asking price.

Enzo Maresca wants a new goalkeeper and Chelsea had originally bid £15m for Maignan, a figure Milan weren’t willing to accept.

But there’s confidence that a deal will be agreed, and there’s more than one reason for Chelsea to be excited as a result.

Mike Maignan is the leader Enzo Maresca has been crying out for

Last October, Maresca might have shocked one of two Chelsea fans when he demanded more ‘leadership’ from Reece James behind the scenes.

James had just returned from injury and the Italian seemingly wasn’t happy with his captain’s contributions, perhaps suggesting that his young group was lacking a leader.

And whilst James might have stepped up in that regard in the months to follow, that’s also an area in which Maignan might be able to help, should a deal be agreed.

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Also towards the end of last year, French outlet L’Equipe reported that Maignan went on an explosive ‘rant’ at his international teammates following a 3-1 defeat to Italy.

After the loss, Maignan stormed to the dressing room to return first, and once his France teammates joined him he delivered a two-minute speech criticising the collective attitude of the team.

According to the report, no one ‘dared’ to speak back, not captain Kylian Mbappe nor vice-captain Antoine Griezmann.

And whilst Chelsea’s current squad may not need denouncing for their lack of effort, they might benefit from the addition of such a leader.

Chelsea never replaced Thiago Silva

Chelsea’s transfer strategy right now is focused around signing the best young players in the world, hence why Estevao and Kendry Paez will soon be on their books.

But especially after losing Thiago Silva last summer, Chelsea will need to mix in the addition of one or two experienced heads, and Maignan is exactly that.

Last season it was reported that Tosin Adarabioyo had become a leader at Chelsea behind the scenes, a player who has stepped up since his arrival from Fulham.

But it’s a pretty damning scenario if one of Maresca’s lesser-used centre-backs is helping lead things at Cobham.

It’s great for players like Tosin to be contributing, but Chelsea need leaders who will regularly be on the pitch too.

An exciting project, and one that is about to receive a huge boost in the form of Maignan.