Chelsea: Blues should make Timo Werner their top priority

Chelsea has been linked with a lot of players over the past few weeks, but Timo Werner needs to be the club’s top priority.

The most sought-after striker in the world has made his intentions of wanting to join Liverpool clear. It’s become increasingly apparent that Timo Werner is going to leave RB Leipzig this summer, whether it be for Liverpool or not. The financial impact of Coronavirus has left a cloud of uncertainty around Liverpool’s ability to fund a move for Werner. Thus, the rumors continue on.

Chelsea has now turned its attention to the German forward, making him a priority over Moussa Dembele. The club’s pursuit of Werner depends on how willing the striker is to a move to London. Chelsea believes it can offer the 24-year-old something Liverpool cannot—guaranteed play time. The Blues are making the right decision with this pursuit and should do everything in their power to get Werner to Stamford Bridge.

Werner is one of the few signings the Blues can make that can be classified as statement signings. A statement signing is a world class player who would immediately elevate the Blues to the next level and display their commitment to building a title contender right away. There are three statement signings Chelsea can realistically make this summer: Kai Havertz, Jadon Sancho and Werner—with Werner being the at the top of the pyramid.

Werner is a world class striker, but he represents something much larger. The German striker is arguably the biggest transfer on the market this summer. He represents the answer to a striker problem Chelsea has had since the Diego Costa departure—with no disrespect to Tammy Abraham’s successful first season. Werner represents the first chance Chelsea has at signing the best player on the market since 2016 (N’Golo Kante), but even that is up for debate seeing as Paul Pogba shattered records at the time. Lastly, he represents hope.

If Werner were to snub Liverpool to join Chelsea, that would be a big blow to the likely title winners. Adding the 24-year-old would inch Chelsea closer and closer to the dominant level of Manchester City and Liverpool. He would quite literally be a game changer for the Blues—both on and off the pitch.

How Werner would fit into the system or what that would mean for Abraham is not up to fans to decide. At the end of the day, Lampard has final say over those matters and there’s a reason for that. One thing should be clear, however: no player should prevent the Blues from pulling the trigger on a world class individual just because he is an academy graduate. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but at the end of the day, winning is the club’s top priority. That doesn’t mean Chelsea cannot keep two talented strikers on the roster either. Look no further than the 2011/12 squad—which had both Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres—for evidence of that. The proof is in the pudding.

At the end of the day, bringing in Werner is the smartest thing Chelsea could do. In comparison to Dembele, Werner is more experienced, more clinical and more versatile. Most importantly, he’s cheaper than the £80 million evaluation of Dembele in January. Dembele’s price has certainly dropped since then, but by how much? Werner’s got a release clause of £52 million, which is a great deal in today’s market for a world class forward.

There are positions that need filled more desperately than striker, but it goes without saying the Blues should not pass up on the opportunity to bring the German to Stamford Bridge. If Chelsea is truly looking to close the gap between itself and the European football elites—like Liverpool, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, etc.—than signing Werner would do just that. For this reason, he needs to be the Blues’ top priority until the ink dries on his contract at Anfield or wherever else he may end up.

If Werner does end up at Liverpool, it isn’t the end of the world. Chelsea has many other options to consider at striker. There are many ways the Blues could approach the market this summer, chasing Werner is just the smartest.