Chelsea: So many striking options, but who will get signed?
Adding a striker is one of Chelsea’s priorities in the upcoming transfer window, but the question is, who will be the one to join the Blues?
Chelsea is expected to transfer in a great striker this summer to take some of the pressure off Tammy Abraham. Many players are being considered, but only one forward will likely be added. Chelsea has been linked to Wilfred Zaha, Moussa Dembele, Edinson Cavani, Timo Werner and Luka Jovic. Many options, but who is the Blues’ best option?
Wilfred Zaha
Zaha has played great for Crystal Palace over the course of his career. In his 345 appearances for the club, he’s scored 56 goals and assisted 68. He has been a target of Chelsea for quite some time now, but they are unwilling to meet Palace’s £80 million evaluation.
Frank Lampard does not want to spend more than half of the team’s transfer budget on one player. But Zaha would be a great fit for Chelsea. He is extremely skilled, a great dribbler, very fast and has the stamina to shoulder a large workload. He is the type of player who would fit nicely into Lampard’s system. The ideal Lampard forward is someone with pace, and an individual who can provide some competition for Abraham.
Zaha has been linked for a move away from Selhurst Park for nearly a decade. He has never been able to leave because no team is willing to meet Crystal Palace’s value. Although Zaha would be a nice fit for the Blues, it is unlikely Chelsea will meet the price.
Moussa Dembele
Dembele is Lampard’s dream signing at striker. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich gave the green light to bid for Dembele in the winter transfer window. However, Lyon was completely against selling the French striker at the time.
Lyon has since changed its stance. Ligue 1 ended its season prematurely due to the COVID-19 and as a result, Lyon has not qualified for any European competition. With some of its star players likely to leave, Chelsea’s chances of landing Dembele have greatly increased.
The 23-year-old has done a great job finding the back of the net this season, scoring 22 times and assisting on seven goals across all competitions. Dembele is the type of striker Chelsea needs. He is a great dribbler, a good shooter and most importantly, someone who can convert in front of goal.
Dembele checks all of the boxes, so expect Chelsea to make him a priority this summer.
Edinson Cavani
Cavani has been linked to a move away from Paris Saint-Germain for a few months now. Back in April, Chelsea was reportedly willing to pay for a loan deal until the end of the season. Now, there are other teams—like Manchester United, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid—who also hope to secure Cavani’s signature.
The 33-year-old would be a short term solution at striker due to his age and concerning injury history. In the 22 matches Cavani has played this season, he has scored seven goals and assisted three others. He is not the fastest player on the pitch, but Lampard is still interested in him because of the experience and technical ability he has. Cavani’s lack of speed is balanced out by his shooting capabilities.
Of the many strikers Chelsea are keeping tabs on, expect Cavani to be a last ditch option. He’s also the likeliest of the bunch to be a sure-fire back-up to Abraham.
Timo Werner
Liverpool and Chelsea are the teams who are heavily interested in Werner as the striker looks to make a Premier League move. Although Liverpool expects to sign Werner in the coming weeks, Chelsea still has a chance of drawing Werner’s interest. However, he has a hefty release clause on his contract and bringing Werner to Stamford Bridge would use up a large chunk of the transfer budget.
The 24-year-old has scored 30 goals and assisted 12 times in 38 matched this season. If Werner wanted to be the star player, one who would get all the chances, Chelsea is the best place for him.
Werner is one of those players where all it takes is a good pass and some space and he will put the ball in the back of the net. He possesses the ability to seemingly score when he wants. If Werner is willing to be a Blue, then expect Chelsea to make a run at him.
Luka Jovic
Luka Jovic has been linked to a loan move to regain his confidence after a disappointing season at Real Madrid. Chelsea is the clear favorite to bring in Jovic on loan. The Serbian has scored twice in 24 appearances throughout all competitions for the Spanish giants.
His performances early in the season led to him not even being selected while healthy. The 22-year-old had a breakthrough season last year, a loan to Chelsea could bring him back to his old self.
Jovic, like Werner, is very good at finishing and finding space. He’s struggled to do both in Madrid, but a potential change in location could do Jovic some good. After all, everyone knows he has a lot of talent and ability.
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Whether it is a loan or permanent transfer, bringing in a striker during the summer will solve the Blues’ current attacking issues. The ideal signing for Chelsea based on availability, talent and age is Lyon striker Moussa Dembele and Leipzig forward Timo Werner. Whichever direction Chelsea decides to take is going to benefit the team, but expect an interesting transfer window for the Blues.