Chelsea are reportedly eyeing a move for Southampton’s Graziano Pelle after failing to land other targets. This story reeks of desperation.
With Antonio Conte set to start his first day in charge of Chelsea next Monday, the transfer rumour mill is kicking into overdrive. The club, amongst other concerns, are faced with the prospect of building a new strikeforce and the latest report claims that Graziano Pelle is in their sights.
Chelsea have supposedly been trailing the likes of Alvaro Morata, but with a deal looking unlikely, attention has turned to the Southampton man.
"Chelsea are considering a £12million swoop for Southampton striker Graziano Pelle if they fail to land Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid. Southampton are inviting offers on their striker but want £16m for Pelle. – via the Daily Mail"
This news is certainly not going to excite Chelsea fans. The Blues endured a horrific 2015/16 campaign, as they finished the season having failed to qualify for any sort of European football.
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It was feared that this would rule out a number of potential transfer targets, but a pursuit of Graziano Pelle lays bare the bleak situation.
The striker arrived in the Premier League two summers ago and he went on to score 16 competitive goals in his first season. He then carried on his decent form into the past campaign, hitting the back of the net 14 times.
The Italian has scored a couple of times for Italy at Euro 2016, but he is simply not the sort of player that should be high on Chelsea’s list.
As previously stated, his form has been decent. Not exceptional. While a decent return can be accepted when the player is young and showing much potential, Graziano Pelle is 30 years old.
Furthermore, with one year left on his contract, Chelsea’s reported £12 million offer (let alone the £16 million that Southampton want) is ridiculous.
In essence, this story reeks of desperation on West London’s behalf.
Chelsea have already confirmed that Alexandre Pato and Radamel Falcao have left the club. Loic Remy is expected to follow suit. Diego Costa, meanwhile, dismissed doubts surrounding his future by committing himself to the Blues.
Nevertheless, even with the arrival of the precocious Michy Batshuayi, Chelsea need more strikers. Batshuayi has been dubbed the next Didier Drogba but it is improbable that the 22-year-old will hit the ground running. Given Costa’s temperamental form and attitude, the Blues urgently require a reliable goalscorer.
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Graziano Pelle is a great signing for a mid-table Premier League side, but not for a team aiming to get right back into the title mix. Chelsea cannot again purchase players for the sake of it.