Chelsea: Will the next striker winger hybrid come on up?

Chelsea’s pursuit for an experienced player that can play striker and winger has taken a hit with Dries Merten’s extension. Will the next one step up?

The rumors have been pretty consistent about Chelsea if one takes a wide enough view of them. The Blues have been looking for experienced players in or near their peaks. They have also been looking pretty heavily at strengthening their attacking options, particularly with a player capable of playing as both a winger and a striker.

Dries Mertens began to stand above the rest. But now he appears set to extend his stay in Italy and the Blues need to turn their attention elsewhere. Will the next transfer target please come on up?

It seems Chelsea’s focus is to bring in a player that can both play instead of and beside Tammy Abraham. Olivier Giroud will be able to fill in as needed, but Frank Lampard wants the option of someone who can play more full time. Plus, that versatility allows Lampard’s 4-3-3 (which already looks like a 4-3-2-1 at times) to shift into a 4-diamond-2 or a 4-4-2 as the match requires.

The Blues were briefly linked to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as the Mertens rumors began. After helping Arsenal acquire him through a merry go round involving Olivier Giroud and Michy Batshuayi, Chelsea appears to want to complete the set. The biggest stumbling block is obviously Arsenal being Arsenal and frankly, after David Luiz, Chelsea probably owes the Gunners one.

Timo Werner has been linked as well, though now more often than not to Liverpool. He lacks the experience the Blues seem to desire, but he checks every other box and has the added bonus of being a potential future super star. If Chelsea is able to ward off Liverpool and convince Werner to play in a slightly offset role from his usual, then this deal would be a no brainer.

From there, the targets stray from the striker and winger hybrid Chelsea wants. Philippe Coutinho has been heavily linked and he has the experience and talent the Blues are looking for. But he is not really a player that can play up top. His signing would require a supplemental signing such as Moussa Dembele for the Blues to get all the players they want in the attack.

Then there is the romantic option of Jeremie Boga. If his buyback is still active as it is alleged to be, then signing him at all seems like an easy idea. He has played striker before but it has been some time. His time as a winger, however, has been fantastic and bringing him back to the Blues may be worth it. It would also allow Chelsea to use their resources elsewhere as they would save on their attacking target with Boga.

Mertens may not have been the most ideal target, but he did check the boxes of experienced and capable of playing as a winger and a striker. His extension means the Blues need to redirect their hunt and perhaps drop one of those criteria. The hunt continues.