Despite the transfer window only shutting last week Chelsea are already looking at bringing in attacking reinforcements in January, and according to the Evening Standard, they could make a shock move for a rival Premier League frontman…
Why do Chelsea need another striker?
The Blues’ start to the season has been less than perfect for new manager Mauricio Pochettino as his side currently sits 12th in the Premier League table and have only scored five goals in their first three games, with three of the goals coming against bottom of the league Luton.
In the Chelsea’s last game before the international break, they embarrassingly lost 1-0 at home to Nottingham Forest.
During the game, the west London outfit controlled 76.1% and 21 shots but were only able to muster two shots on target, per Sky Sports.
On top of this new signing, Nicolas Jackson squandered a sitter that could already be a contender for miss of the season, after missing the target completely from four yards out.
After the game, the Argentine manager said:
“Today, we created chances. We were not clinical enough in the last third. We should score if we want to win, make one mistake and concede.”
Chelsea have limited options at striker despite signing strikers Deivid Washington and Cole Palmer in the latest transfer window. Furthermore, academy graduate Armando Broja is still returning from fitness after he tore his ACL last season.
What’s the latest on Ivan Toney to Chelsea?
Indeed, as per the Standard, Brentford talisman Ivan Toney is a potential transfer target for Pochettino and Todd Boehly heading into the new year.
For the time being, though, the former Tottenham Hotspur manager will have to make do with his current options – none of whom could match the Englishman’s 21 goals in all competitions last term.
Is Toney the right man for Chelsea?
There’s no doubt that the English international, who Brentford reportedly value at £80m would bring much-needed experience to a Chelsea side that has an average age of 23.7 the youngest in the Premier League.
Across his career, the 27-year-old has played 401 games for eight different clubs, scoring 165 goals and registering 59 assists, via Transfermarkt.
Last season the 5 foot 10 “monster” – as once lauded by Horizon United creator Ryan Haber – had an average Sofascore rating of 7.25, the highest at Brentford, as well as ranking in the top 20% of strikers in Europe for goals per 90 minutes, he also ranked in the top 14% for passes into the final third and top 9% for crosses into the penalty area, per FBref.
Speaking on talkSPORT in 2022, former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan described Toney as “an outstanding player.”
“He came into the Premier League with a reputation of being of a difficult player to play against because he is unorthodox,” he also claimed. “Forget Unorthodox, he is a high-quality player that not only scores goals, but makes goals, he works hard.”
“He is an absolute credit to himself, to his football team and his manager. First of all, he’s probably the best penalty taker in the division by a country mile.
Despite being an ideal target for Chelsea, the former Peterborough United forward is currently serving an eight-month ban from football, that lasts until January 27th after he was found guilty of betting offences.
This means that if he signs for Chelsea he might be in a similar boat to the current crop of strikers, who are either lacking in confidence or the experience to play at the very top level, though his goalscoring record suggests he could well be the final answer to the club’s longstanding no.9 problem.