While Todd Boehly will undoubtedly have to move on some of Chelsea‘s bloated squad if he wants to sign new players this summer, it seems clear that attacking additions are necessary.
The Blues are one of the lowest-scoring sides in the division, having mustered just a goal a game in the Premier League so far this season, with the 3-1 win over Bournemouth last weekend just the third time they’ve managed to score more than twice in a top-flight fixture.
Therefore, it is perhaps no surprise to see Chelsea linked with some of the best strikers across European football, with Napoli superstar Victor Osimhen one man who Boehly could look to bring to Stamford Bridge.
Could Chelsea sign Victor Osimhen this summer?
According to reports last month from 90min, the west London outfit are confident that they can win the race to sign the 24-year-old sensation this summer, despite not being able to offer Champions League football.
They claim that the Blues are prepared to blow other sides out of the water as they prepare what would likely be a club-record bid for the €150m (£133m-rated) forward, who has been at the forefront of Luciano Spalletti’s Scudetto-winning side this season.
The Nigeria international boasts a phenomenal record of 23 goals and four assists in just 28 Serie A appearances, earning an incredible 7.47 average rating from WhoScored for his performances.
Previously described as “phenomenal” by former Cagliari coach Walter Mazzarri, Osimhen has naturally been afforded a lot of chances in Napoli’s run to the title, but it is his overachievement in terms of expected goals which suggests that he could be the man to solve Chelsea’s woes in front of goal.
As per Fotmob, the fine-finishing forward has scored 23 goals from just 18.9 xG this season, which suggests that he is more than capable of putting the difficult chances away.
As such, it marks him out as an ideal replacement for the struggling Kai Havertz, who once again has underperformed on expected goals as Chelsea’s main man in the attack.
Could Osimhen replace Havertz at Chelsea?
As per Understat, the former Bayer Leverkusen man has failed to turn his xG into results throughout his time at Chelsea, but this season has been the worst by far, as he has scored 5.15 fewer goals than expected.
He has also averaged far fewer shots (2.1 vs 4.2) and dribbles (0.5 vs 0.8) per game than Osimhen, while the 6 foot 4 striker’s 6.81 average rating from WhoScored simply puts the Napoli forward in a different league.
If Boehly is serious about turning Chelsea into title challengers, he must consider ditching the “hopeless” Havertz, as he has been dubbed by Chris Sutton, and bringing in the exciting Osimhen instead.