Chelsea have endured a irritating begin to the 2023/24 Premier League marketing campaign underneath Mauricio Pochettino and are already slipping away from the highest 4 race.
The Blues are presently thirteenth within the desk and 12 factors off Arsenal in fourth. Nevertheless, they face Tottenham Hotspur away from Stamford Bridge on Monday night time and have the chance to shut that hole to single digits with a victory.
The entire present high seven have discovered the again of the online a minimum of 22 occasions up to now this season. In the meantime, Chelsea have solely scored 13 targets and are missing a constant scorer within the remaining third. Pochettino may look to treatment the state of affairs through the upcoming January switch window by including one other centre-forward choice to his ranks.
Chelsea switch information – Ollie Watkins
Journalist Simon Phillips, by way of his Substack, has revealed that the Blues are Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins as a attainable goal for 2024.
The reporter has claimed that Pochettino has positioned an emphasis on the membership eyeing up gamers who’re confirmed within the Premier League and know what it takes to carry out at this stage.
With that in thoughts, Watkins and Brentford star Ivan Toney have each emerged as Chelsea targets as they give the impression of being to enhance their attacking arsenal.
Nevertheless, the Villans ahead put pen to paper on a new long-term contract together with his membership initially of October and it stays to be seen how viable a deal for the England worldwide can be if Todd Boehly does resolve to swoop for the spectacular goalscorer initially of subsequent 12 months.
“Unstoppable” Watkins is best than Jackson
Watkins has been in terrific kind because the begin of final season and has confirmed himself to be a dependable scoring possibility at Premier League stage. This makes him a dream goal for Pochettino as a result of ex-Spurs head coach’s need for gamers who’ve been there and completed it in English soccer.
Final time period, the English quantity 9 plundered 15 targets and 6 assists in 37 top-flight outings for Villa, which was eight extra targets than any Chelsea participant managed through the 2022/23 league marketing campaign.
The 27-year-old marksman has additionally began the present season in high-quality kind as a scorer and a creator on the high finish of the pitch for Unai Emery’s aspect.
He has racked up 5 targets and 5 assists in 11 Premier League matches and 4 targets in 5 Europa Convention League outings – together with the play-offs. In the meantime, Raheem Sterling is Chelsea’s high scorer within the league with three strikes and first-choice centre-forward Nicolas Jackson has solely produced two targets up to now.
These statistics recommend that the Villa dynamo, dubbed “unstoppable” by Jamie Carragher final season, has the potential to be an distinctive addition to Pochettino’s squad as he has the standard to hold a aim risk that has been missing from Stamford Bridge over the past 18 months.
Watkins’ spectacular help complete additionally means that the £130k-per-week ace might be an enormous artistic presence for the Blues as no Chelsea participant has managed greater than two up to now this time period.