Chelsea is a team that is full of top quality players. It has a squad depth that can basically provide a full B-team that would easily compete in the Premier League. There is the usual competition for game time with a host of talented stars in one team. However, in the Blues’ case, there might be too many players on their hands to give regular playing time to all. Apart from that, there are some players who have managed to secure their places in the regular first team and others might have a tough time breaking into the star-studded line-up. For this reason, as well as financial purposes, Chelsea might have to sell some of its top players at the end of the season.
Some of the likely candidates to be sold off include Ross Barkley, Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech—just to name a few. Ziyech’s transfer is the most talked about but there have also been rumours surrounding Chelsea’s star boy, Mason Mount, albeit laughable. It seems as if other big clubs across Europe have taken an interest in the talented players the club has to offer. Antonio Rudiger, Chelsea’s lead centreback, has already received attention from clubs such as Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. Nevertheless, he is not the only player being scouted by European giants. According to reports from Spain, Barcelona is looking to strengthen its attack with two Chelsea forwards, Timo Werner and Ziyech.
Barcelona is taking interest in Chelsea duo Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech
Werner was supposed to be a cold-blooded striker, similar to Sergio Aguero, who would be the ultimate poacher for Chelsea. However, things have not gone according to plan and Werner has been more of a playmaker instead. The German striker ended up with more assists than goals last season and thus, although he was an important part of the team, he is struggling to find minutes this season with the arrival of Romelu Lukaku. For Ziyech, the Moroccan made a good start under Frank Lampard’s tutelage, but he picked up injuries soon after his debut and his form disappeared after his recovery. While the winger can still produce some brilliant displays of footballing magic, those instances are rare and he is not consistently used by Thomas Tuchel.
Tuchel would likely be happy to let go of the former Ajax winger as he has never really fit into his system. Players like Callum Hudson-Odoi and Pulisic represent more of what Tuchel wants in a winger seeing as he does not really deploy wingers in their traditional wide positions. For Barcelona, however, Ziyech could be a great fit. The Catalonian club needs wingers and the Moroccan needs to revive his career, as well. The 28-year-old is in his prime and he would likely prefer playing regularly at Barcelona as opposed to warming the benches at Stamford Bridge. The German striker, on the other hand, is still a project that could work in the London side. Tuchel will not be looking forward to any potential Werner exit. According to reports, the Blaugrana want Ziyech over Werner as they already have a Werner-like a player in Memphis Depay. However, with the recent announcement that Aguero will no longer be playing professional football, the Catalans would be happy with a second striker, as well.
Monetarily speaking, it would be a good deal for the Blues as they will be able to offload two of their highest earners. Regardless, in terms of the future of the squad, selling Werner would be a mistake. Ziyech has not done enough to warrant an extended spell at the club. However, the duo of Lukaku and Werner could still work and once they are both back from injuries, the two striker tactic could be tried again.
Do you think selling Werner and Ziyech will benefit Chelsea or will it have a negative impact on the side? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!