Chelsea striker depth is an increasing concern for Premier League bid

Chelsea are flying, but concerns over the lack of striker depth are rearing their head. Should Antonio Conte dip into the transfer market in January?

Chelsea are sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League. After defeating both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City in consecutive weeks, Blues fans are starting to truly believe. However, fears are growing over their shallow pool of strikers. Can Antonio Conte rely on Diego Costa and Michy Batshuayi to keep fit?

Batshuayi has not seen much game time this season and one idea touted in order to give him some is to go with two up-front. Speaking on The Blue Lions podcast (iTunes link), POL contributor Travis Tyler pointed to Chelsea’s depth as a reason not to.

"I don’t think Costa and Batshuayi will start together in any of our games simply because if one gets hurt, our striker depth is gone. We have no-one else who is a natural striker."

This is the issue with the Blues at the moment. Diego Costa has been on fire alongside Eden Hazard and nothing should be taken away from Chelsea’s efforts, as any team challenging for the title is driven by a couple of key men.

However, with only two recognised strikers available, Conte cannot afford injuries up front. His alternative options involve using Hazard as a false nine, or placing his faith in 19-year-old Dominic Solanke.

Also speaking on The Blue Lions, Puck Prose and POL writer Dan McClue discussed the likelihood of a two-man switch and whether Chelsea need another striker.

"We could always buy someone in January, even if it means spending £400 million on an average player…But I don’t particularly think that [a two-man frontline] is in the future and hence we don’t need to sign a striker. Batshuayi is a more than capable back-up in a one-striker system."

If Chelsea toe the line with their 3-4-3 formation, then there shouldn’t be a need for new strikers in January. You could say that having both Costa and Batshuayi succumb to injury is indicative of the sort of luck that would prevent the Blues from winning the league, no matter the depth of the squad.

What do you think of Chelsea’s striker depth? Are you concerned? Let us know why, or why not, in the comments below!