Chelsea have made gains under Enzo Maresca’s management this season but plan to springboard toward loftier heights with some well-placed signings.
Winter activity is anticipated, with Maresca keen on signing a new centre-back after fitness blows to Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana, but the longer plan suggests that a new centre-forward is coveted.
Chelsea chasing talented striker
According to German outlet BILD – via Sport Witness – Chelsea are pushing hard to sign Stefanos Tzimas in the summer transfer window, with the PAOK Thessaloniki forward, who is on loan in Germany with Nurnberg, attracting interest from some high-profile suitors.
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Liverpool are also believed to be in the mix, but the report states that it is Stamford Bridge which is shaping up to look a probable destination for the 19-year-old, named as the favourites and having no qualms over paying the €25m (£21m) asking price.
It’s a complicated deal: Nurnberg will look to activate their buy option for the loanee before turning an instant profit, something Chelsea are happy to oblige.
Why Chelsea want Stefanos Tzimas
Chelsea have a fantastic striker in Nicolas Jackson, who, aged 23, has notched 23 goals and nine assists across 55 Premier League appearances. He’s not perfect though, having gone five successive games without scoring.
Christopher Nkunku has endured frustration throughout his time in west London and is being courted by Bayern Munich, meaning the Blues would have room to add to their rich and abundant frontline. Tzimas might be the perfect signing, able to tussle with Jackson without rocking the boat too hard.
That’s certainly not to say that the Greek ace can’t dethrone the Senegalese forward in good time, with talent scout Jacek Kulig already hailing him as a “monster in the making.”
He’s scored eight goals across 14 appearances (ten starts) in the 2. Bundesliga this term, only missing 11 big chances and averaging 1.5 dribbles per game, bespeaking a progressiveness that will serve him well when looking to replace Jackson as Chelsea’s main number nine in the long run.
Goals
0.78
0.53
Assists
0.10
0.23
Shots taken
3.99
3.34
Touches att. pen
7.49
6.10
Pass completion
62.5%
75.3%
Progressive passes
1.65
1.41
Progressive carries
3.11
2.23
Successful take-ons
2.04
1.00
Tackles
0.97
0.82
Obviously, Jackson is playing at a higher level, competing against Premier League defenders, but he is also nearly five years Tzimas’ senior and is already being outstripped across a number of key metrics.
Tzimas’ unrelenting intensity and desire to drive play forward is something that could be perfect for Chelsea. Cole Palmer’s surgical passing would prosper for sure, the Three Lions star creating 18 big chances in the Premier League this term.
Such a signing would only strengthen Chelsea’s exciting project over the coming years. He wouldn’t displace Jackson from the offing, but Tzimas has all the signs of becoming an elite striker in the coming years, and must be signed.
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