Chelsea: Now that Timo Werner is a Blue, what is next?

With Chelsea now have signed Timo Werner, there are still expected moves for them to make. So where does Chelsea go from here?

RB Leipzig star Timo Werner will be heading to Chelsea instead of Liverpool. The price was only £53 million which is a very good deal. Frank Lampard has finally found his replacements for Eden Hazard. Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner are amazing players and will fit very well into the Blues squad. The best part is, the West Londoners have secured Werner until 2025.

Coming seasons look very bright for the Blues as they have a loaded midfield and a great attack with so much talent. But now that one of their biggest needs is satisfied, where do Chelsea go from here? They have multiple options: Jadon Sancho, Kai Havertz, Ben Chilwell, Nathan Ake, etc. But here is the smartest way to make it happen.

With the addition of Werner and Ziyech, the breakthrough of Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi on a new five year deal, and the exit of Willian and Pedro, Chelsea have fulfilled their attacking needs. Even though the Blues just got two new attackers, they are still needed. Sancho can play the wing and Chelsea is already loaded with wingers. Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Mount, Hudson-Odoi are all staying long term. But with a likely exit of Willian and Pedro, the men in blue will be down to four wingers. Choosing between Havertz or Sancho is extremely tough. Sancho would not be needed as adding him would cause problems with playing time. Especially because Chelsea would not want young and promising players to demand a transfer.

Havertz would be a better pick up for Chelsea here. He is a an attacking mid/striker type of player. He will fit well under Lampard’s system. Though Olivier Giroud is staying for another season, one would not expect to see him on the pitch very often. Having Havertz would mean he would start. As a 20 year old star who is producing goals at a good rate, it is a safe bet that Chelsea would bring him aboard only if he would start. But if they do, it would most likely force Abraham onto the bench or result in Werner, Havertz, and Abraham all starting together.

Chelsea’s defense has been suffering throughout the season costing them wins. Left back has been arguably the most lacking position for them. Marcos Alonso and Emerson are not the type of left backs Lampard wants. Plus, when he gave them chances, they would only disappoint. It was too bad that Cesar Azpilicueta was forced to play left back since the emergence of Reece James.

Ben Chilwell is the ideal signing at left back for Chelsea. He has been on their radar for a few years now. His performance at Leicester City has been world class and he has been getting a lot of recognition as of late. Chelsea was handed a major boost as Chilwell openly went to Leicester City manager, Brendan Rodgers, and said to transfer him to Stamford Bridge. With the whole soccer world watching Chelsea’s decisions, another transfer bid is expected within the coming weeks.

Center backs for Chelsea have not been great this season. Rudiger was injured for an extended period, Kurt Zouma was masterful at messing up and scoring own goals, Fikayo Tomori has lost minutes, and Andreas Christensen has been up and down.

Center backs for the Blues has been a real struggle and adding one this summer would make them a complete team. There are multiple options for Chelsea, given the available money they have and Roman Abramovich’s mood. Based on Lampard’s system and tactics, Chelsea should only have two targets: Ake and Dayot Upamecano.

Ake should be preferred over Upamecano in this situation because he is a better fit. Ake used to play for Chelsea until 2017 when he was given to Bournemouth. Surely his former academy teammates still have not forgotten about him and would love to have him back. Chelsea had placed a buyback clause of £40 million. But sadly, that clause expired this past January and Lampard made no moves. Because of that, Chelsea would most likely have to pay within the £40 million to £50 million range. With Bournemouth on the verge of relegation, it would plummet Ake’s value and make him a lot easier to sign.

Upamecano is a special one. At only 21 years old he has made his way to one of Bundesliga’s top defenders, and he does not look to stop there. Though many teams are vying for his signature, there is one major factor which would make this 10 times more interesting: his expiring contract.

Though he is only 21, his contract is expiring meaning only his release clause would have to be paid. It is similar to Werner’s and would be no problem to Chelsea. An added advantage for the Blues is Timo Werner, Upamecano would potentially like to follow his teammate to Stamford Bridge. If the Blues do end up getting Upamecano, he can easily keep his spot in the starting XI for at least the next decade.

Now that Werner is going to be a Blue, Chelsea still has a lot of thinking, decision making, and executing to do. Whether it may be Sancho, Havertz, Chilwell, Ake, or Upamecano, these players should be priorities, and moves should be made soon.