Chelsea FC has had a tumultuous history with the striker position. Besides a few outliers like Didier Drogba and Diego Costa who found success as the blues target man, a large majority of Chelsea striker signings have not fared well. This past season, the Blues had their worst campaign in recent memory. The team struggled to find the back of the net consistently, highlighting the urgent need for a goal scorer. While the Blues are reportedly close to completing the signing of Villarreal striker Nicolas Jackson, there is still a need for another primary option up top for next season.
At the moment, securing the services of world-class strikers like Victor Osimhen and Harry is unrealistic due to the financial implications and the Blues’ lack of European football next season. Yet, there still remain numerous talented strikers available who could significantly strengthen Chelsea’s lackluster attack.
Here are 5 realistic striker options Chelsea should chase this summer.
5. Jonathan David
Since arriving at Lille from Belgian side KAA Gent, Jonathan David has consistently proven his worth as one of football’s best young strikers. From his debut season in Ligue 1 in the 2020/21 campaign to now, David has recorded double digit goal tallies in each season. This season in particular has been the Canadian striker’s best by far. He ranked third in Ligue 1 for goals scored, with 24 goals only behind Kylian Mbappe and Alexandre Lacazette.
David is a versatile forward possessing enough pace to be deployed on the wings although primarily playing through the middle. Physically, he’s able to overpower defenders and control the ball well under pressure to finish. His pace comes in handy when he makes runs behind opposition and when he’s progressing the ball in transition to create chances for his teammates.
David has stated his desire to play in the Premier League and although there’s been interest from top clubs there haven’t been many concrete reports indicating a move to a specific big club for him this summer window. That is where Chelsea could step in and swoop the Canadian striker, to help solve their goal scoring problems up top.
4. Aleksandar Mitrovic
For a striker in 2023, Aleksandar Mitrovic is about as old school as it gets. Standing at 6’2”, the Serbian center forward was the top scorer for Fulham in the Premier League this season. With 14 goals in 24 matches, Mitrovic propelled the cottagers to an impressive 10th place finish upon their return to the top flight since the 2020/21 season.
While strikers with Mitrovic’s playstyle are becoming increasingly rare in modern football, his knack for finding the back of the net cannot be denied. As a pure poacher and target man, he excels at capitalizing on aerial crosses. If there’s a ball in the air it’ll probably find his head on its way to the back of the net. Despite not being the quickest on the ball, he’s not wasteful and takes his chances ruthlessly in the box as well.
Mitrovic’s passion and ruthless finishing may evoke memories of Chelsea’s Diego Costa era, where having a clinical striker was the norm. If Chelsea fails to secure their preferred striker targets, Mitrovic could serve as a reliable option. With his proven track record in the Premier League, he could be the marskman that the blues desperately need.
3. Lautaro Martinez
Lautaro Martinez has established himself as one of Europe’s best strikers over these past few seasons. At Inter Milan, Martinez has recorded over 15 goals in four consecutive Serie A campaigns and this season in particular he finished as the league’s second top scorer with 21 goals. At the club level, the Argentinian forward has been primarily deployed as a second striker or complementary striker in a two-man striker partnership.
He’s more technical on the ball than most strikers, using his dribbling and pace create chances for himself and his teammates, highlighted by his 11 assists this season. When it comes to scoring goals, Martinez possesses the instincts of a fox in the box. He excels at playing off his striking partner, capitalizing on crosses and demonstrating exceptional finishing skills when he’s in top form.
Despite Martinez being elite when he’s on form, he’s prone for inconsistentency throughout a season, especially on the biggest of stages. The 2022 World Cup serves as a prime example. Martinez began the tournament as Argentina’s favored starting striker, yet after consistently missing chances in the opening matches, he was benched in favor of Julian Alvarez.
The uncertainty around whether Martinez will succeed once he leaves Inter comes mainly from the fact that he benefits from playing in a two-striker system, arising concerns as to how he would thrive as a lone striker in the Premier League.
Signing Martinez would be a high-risk, high reward move. If he manages to adapt and perform, he has the potential to be exceptional. If he flops, he’ll be yet another expensive striker signing that did not work out at Chelsea. Hopefully the latter will be the case.
2. Randal Kolo Muani
As a forward, Randal Kolo Muani is about as complete as they come. In his debut season with Eintracht Frankfurt, the French striker emerged as one of Europe’s most exciting strikers, scoring 15 goals along with 14 assists.
As his stats suggest, Muani is not your traditional goal scoring striker, possessing unparallel technical ability for his position. The 24-year-old is incredibly quick and deadly in open space, using his dribbling ability to cruise past defenders and supply his teammates. In addition, his pace allows him to make great runs in behind and into the box putting himself in the right positions to score.
While Muani has been great this season. this is his breakout campaign at 24. It is almost impossible to determine how his final output will translate in a tighter Premier League. Timo Werner is a player that was viewed as having the same diverse skillset as a forward like Kolo Muani but as recent memory serves Chelsea fans, the German failed to truly hit the ground running in blue.
Another hindrance to Muani’s purchase would be the price tag. Eintract Frankfurt CEO values the French international at over 90 million euros and at that hefty price, the club cannot afford another striker flop. Yet, if with time his valuation reaches a considerable fee, a player of his versatility up top could immensely help the Blues front line next season.
1. Dusan Vlahovic
Dusan Vlahovic made his mark in Europe as a serial goalscorer for Fiorentina in Serie A. During the first half of the 2021/22 campaign Vlahovic bagged 17 goals in 21 matches, prompting Juventus to splurge around 81 million euros for the Serbian striker during that season’s January window. At Juventus, Vlahovic has not continued the trajectory he was on at Fiorentina.
This season with the Bianconeri, he’s scored 10 goals in Serie A in 27 matches, suffering from inconsistency. While Vlahovic’s performances at Juventus have been underwhelming, his style of play does not suit Max Allegri’s side. Allegri’s outdated defensively pragmatic and low possession based tactics often leaves Vlahovic as an isolated body in a lackluster attack, receiving little service to do what he does best , finish. In addition, the Serbian striker has dealt with injuries throughout the season and is currently nursing a nagging groin injury.
At Chelsea, a manager of Mauricio Pochettino’s style can surely can the best out of Vlahovic, similar to how he developed Harry Kane. Vlahovic’s attributes fits the profile of striker that the Premier League demands. He is tall standing at 6’3 but yet surprisingly agile with and without the ball, while retaining the physicality to scrap with defenders and finish under pressure. Sometimes he can be too agitated and rushed in his striking but with some polishing Vlahovic does present himself as an ideal candidate to be Chelsea’s No.9 next season.