Chelsea have signed two strikers in this ongoing summer transfer window, which would not have been that much of a talking point, if Nicolas Jackson did not have a contract until 2033. This now means that the Blues have five senior strikers on the roster, three of whom are likely to stay to compete for a starting spot in the upcoming 2025/26 campaign.
The reality of "competition for places" is usually much more complex than the idea of it. Getting one player to challenge another is smart, especially when the player being challenged is under 25 years of age. However, having three competing for the same spot, especially when the two new players are also under 25, is hard to make sense of.
On the surface, it looks like good competition, creating the need for each striker to take full advantage of the chances he gets. The reality of it, would be much more chaotic.
As things stand, Jackson can assume that the club is no longer interested in playing him regularly. While some may justify this by saying the Senegal international deserves this due to his tendency to miss clear-cut chances consistently, he still makes the team better when he plays, as underpinned by his numbers.
Chelsea have created a striker problem for themselves
Jackson, of course, missed quite a lot of chances, to everyone's frustration. But he did finish the season in double-digit league goals for the second consecutive season.
Liam Delap also had an admirable campaign, scoring 12 goals for a newly-promoted, and now-relegated Ipswich Town that was not known for its goalscoring, to say the least. He averaged a 36% big chance conversion rate, which isn't encouraging considering that the benchmark for "good finishing" is around 45% for that metric.
Delap didn't do much in terms of assists, but he was key in holding up play, and did it as well as anyone could for Ipswich Town. Getting him to replace Jackson may be a stretch, as the former Villareal striker likely still offers more than the Englishman.
Joao Pedro is a more interesting signing, because while the argument can be made that he can play more positions across the front four, but the squad hasn't been set up to give anyone that impression. At the top level, the more specialised your position is, the better for you, especially when there's as much competition as there is at Chelsea.
According to Sofascore, Pedro can play as a striker or an attacking midfielder. The problem is that he would have to prove that he's better than out-and-out centre forwards like Jackson and Delap, to play as the number nine over them. He did a pretty good job at that by scoring two wonderful goals against Fluminense.
He would also have to prove that he's the best option at central attacking midfield, to play in the No. 10 role. This, of course, makes for an awkward situation because his competition at attacking midfield, is Cole Palmer, who is not going anywhere.
This leaves the two wide attacking spots for Pedro to compete for. Unfortunately, Chelsea have made big signings in those two positions in the last year, with one of them being made this window.
Jamie Gittens was just brought in for £50-plus million, and he is an 'actual' left winger, so the likelihood of another player starting over him is not high. The Blues also bought Pedro Neto for a big fee last summer, and he is an 'actual' right winger. You can immediately see the issue.
The age profile presents the second set of issues. Delap, being the youngest of the trio, is 22. Pedro and Jackson are 23 and 24 years old, respectively. These are all players that are yet to reach their primes, and need enough playing time to see them develop to the point of being consistent performers for Chelsea.
This is because, while they are all supposed to be fighting for the same spot, not all of them will get a fair chance. Whoever plays first will have the better chance of starting again, and the more he plays, the more he's likely to continue in that role.
For example, if a striker scores in Game Week 1 (GW1) and GW2, he's likely to get the next 3 games, even if he doesn't score in them. If he does, he's likely to get the benefit of the doubt for even more games. This could easily lead to a player starting the first 12-15 games having scored 5 in those 15.
Yes, Chelsea will play in many competitions, but a striker is a lot like a goalkeeper, where the established first choice is likely to start most games, especially in the Premier League and Champions League. Who will that main man be for the Blues?
There are enough games to go round two young strikers, but not enough to go round three. A more experienced striker being one of the three would have been perfect, as he'd have been the clear backup, and the manager could prioritise the youngsters without creating any problems. As things stand, there is no clear backup, and that makes it needlessly tricky.