Chelsea has needed a striker to deputize Tammy Abraham all window. With no movement, the Blues are looking at almost any warm body.
Like a broken record, Chelsea has approached the end of the window without the target they set out to get at the start of that window. Mind, not every target needs to be brought in immediately, but this month has played out in a way that made one more necessary than not.
Chelsea has scoring issues and Tammy Abraham is being run into the ground because Michy Batshuayi and Olivier Giroud simply cannot pick up the slack. That issue has only gotten worse as the window has progressed. Yet still, Chelsea is empty handed.
With the window about to close, this is the usual moment Chelsea’s board panics and brings in any warm body to cover the holes. The Blues may struggle in the short term, but in the long term the board prefers to get someone now rather than wait for a truly fantastic target.
The latest warm body is Dries Mertens who would be a fantastic signing with an incredibly short shelf life. At 32, he is basically on the verge of his physical abilities dropping off a cliff. While he is not necessarily the most physical player, it would be a noticeable hit to his ability.
That is not to mention how Chelsea would have to pay for him (this is Napoli after all) now when he would simply be free in a few months. Understandably, the Blues need a target right away but this is as short term as short term can get.
Edinson Cavani was a similar target which, if nothing else, shows Chelsea has an MO right now. With an expiring contract, Chelsea would have tried to bring in the striker for a short term fix. While a loan would be ideal, it was always unlikely.
Krzysztof Piatek would have been a better target, but if the Blues really wanted him they should have tried for him last season. While he would have helped Chelsea out, he may not have been the knock out sensation expected a year ago.
The Moussa Dembele rumors stayed strong but burned off over time. In a way, he would have been ideal because he would not necessarily impede Abraham, but he would still offer something different. But Lyon held firm over any inquires.
This all feels like pretext for a summer attempt on Timo Werner. Perhaps Chelsea tried to get him this window, but most signs point towards him being the target the Blues are most interested in long term. Whether or not that happens depends in part on this window.
Chelsea wants a new striker. Maybe, on some level, the club needs one. But all these options smack of any warm body to solve the problem. That is not smart transfer business. As badly as Chelsea needs help, they do not need it so badly that they need to bend over backwards to make something, anything, happen.