Chelsea plot hijack for Drogba-esque £50m striker

There’s been a whole lot of noise round Chelsea‘s switch window, and admittedly, Enzo Maresca has discovered fairly the in-tray on his desk upon arriving this summer time because the membership’s new head coach.

That last phrasing is essential: the working of Todd Boehly‘s regime signifies that the Italian’s modus operandi centres across the squad and the techniques – transfers and the extra clerical aspect of the job fall to sporting administrators Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart and a bunch of additional office-based staff.

To his credit score, Maresca has been candid in his feedback concerning the Blues’ bloated first group, saying: “Issues can nonetheless occur when it comes to new signings and outgoings.”

Conor Gallagher has joined Atletico Madrid and additional departures are anticipated earlier than subsequent weekend’s deadline. That stated, Chelsea might but end a busy summer time of spending with a last addition, and centre-forward is the world of concern.

Chelsea eyeing new striker

A lot of the chatter concerning No. 9 has circed round a potential swoop for Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, who has been anticipated to depart throughout this window for a lot of the yr however is prone to discovering himself marooned away from the market as a result of his outfit’s insistence that his £111m launch clause should be met.

With Romelu Lukaku set to signal for the Serie A aspect, a pathway could be opened up for the Nigerian’s signing, however it nonetheless will not be a simple deal, and Chelsea should contemplate another.

Properly, that man might arrive within the type of Brentford’s Ivan Toney, who too is awaiting a switch this summer time and has been mooted for a £50m transfer to the Saudi Professional League’s Al Ahli – albeit with solely a £35m supply having arrived to this point.

Nonetheless, based on TEAMtalk, Chelsea are weighing up a hijack for the England worldwide, 28, and have really contacted their neighbours to find out a potential deal.

Why Toney can be the right Osimhen various

Toney is understandably tempted by the pull of Saudi Arabia, with the suggestion that Al Ahli have supplied him a big improve on his £20k-per-week wage, with the proposed phrases totalling a £325k weekly pay packet – a colossal 1525% rise.

Reduce from the material of a standard striker with modified technical expertise and an intense work charge, Toney has grown into one of many Premier League’s most interesting and highest-profile gamers beneath Thomas Frank, scoring 36 targets and including 11 assists throughout 83 top-flight fixtures.

His supervisor has praised him for having the “mindset of a lion” and he has proved himself among the many most interesting within the division, along with his haul in 2022/23 bettered solely by Harry Kane and Erling Haaland.

Toney additionally boasts a formidable link-up high quality that stems from his sharpness in transition, brutish bodily presence and dominance throughout aerial battles – Toney ranks among the many prime 16% of forwards throughout Europe’s prime 5 leagues over the previous yr for aerial duels received per 90 (3.35), as per FBref.

In some methods, his skillset would really make him a greater match than Napoli’s Osimhen, who is among the world’s most interesting finishers however would arrive for over double the fee and has an damage report that leaves one thing to be desired.

The 26-year-old, who earns £211k per week, has been described as “probably the greatest strikers on the planet” by Manchester Metropolis’s Joao Cancelo, posting 76 targets and 18 assists throughout 133 matches for his group and profitable the 2022/23 Serie A title.

Nonetheless, accidents and Napoli’s staggering decline final season left him pissed off, and he now ranks solely among the many prime 33% of strikers in Europe for non-penalty targets scored per 90.

Class is everlasting and there is not any doubt his athleticism and pedigree would go away him in good standing to succeed at Stamford Bridge, however it will be one thing of a threat for a participant that may value a charge in the identical ballpark as Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez.

Toney can be a greater than viable various, particularly as he is been likened to none apart from Didier Drogba.

A “Drogba-esque” striker

In 2021, former Icelandic footballer Hermann Hreidarsson remarked that Toney has a little bit of Drogba about him and is even a “world-class” participant.

His on-pitch efficiency over the three years since has hardly dispelled such claims, with Toney’s Brentford teammate Christian Nørgaard claiming: “I heard somebody within the altering room evaluating Ivan with Didier Drogba. I feel he appeared a bit like him really – the way in which he stored the ball, his first contact and his passes.

“He received each single header and he’s a proper participant.”

Drogba is a Premier League Corridor-of-Famer and is extensively regarded amongst Chelsea’s greatest-ever gamers. Signed from Marseille for £24m in 2004, the Ivorian plundered 250 objective contributions throughout 381 matches over two spells, notably profitable the Champions League and 4 league titles.

A 6 foot 2 titan of a striker, Drogba was the last word big-game participant, scoring 12 targets throughout 17 profession cup finals and rising on the golden aspect of the tie 11 instances.

His affect stretched past mere goalscoring, nevertheless, utilizing his immense energy and electrical bursts of tempo to bully defenders, all the time spectacular along with his technical high quality and skill to go fluently and preserve tempo and gusto within the build-up.

He was, merely, probably the greatest. He was additionally 26 years outdated upon first arriving in west London and took a few seasons to actually get going as one of many division’s most interesting.

Toney might emulate Drogba’s illustrious success after which some. He has the abilities and he has the tried-and-tested pedigree, with a starvation to carry out on the forefront of division too.