With the summer transfer window just around the corner, Chelsea will be preparing for yet another crucial offseason where sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley will be looking to search for a reliable and clinical number nine remains a top priority given how Nicolas Jackson has struggled with consistency upfront, especially when it comes to his finishing and positional discipline, which has pushed the chiefs at the club to evaluate options across Europe.
So if we think about the players that have been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, one of the names that continue to be linked with the Blues is Serhou Guirassy. The Dortmund number nine took the Bundesliga by storm with Stuttgart and joined Borussia Dortmund. Given he is a proven finisher with maturity complemented by how he possesses that physical presence upfront. He does bring a sort of attribute to the table that Jackson is yet to fully develop.
And with the French-born ace reportedly attracting interest, questions remain: Should Chelsea go all in for him? Would he be an upgrade over Jackson?
So let’s get into the basis of how Guirassy could ‘replace’ Jackson
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See, first is their age; Jackson is really young when you compare him with Serhou, and the former is really raw, mobile and emotional compared to the latter, who is efficient, physical and calm.
If you were to ask me, Guirassy is an upgrade in the short term only because of one reason – he has that clinical end product.
We saw how the Blues have created a lot of big chances in the Premier League along the ongoing campaign, but Enzo Maresca has lacked a dependable finisher up front.
And the Guinea international has the ability to stay in those central and attacking spaces where he can feature in between centre-backs. If he does even end up burying half-chances, he would give the West Londoners the edge in tight games where we saw the Blues frequently drop points this season.
Tactical Fit in the current system at Chelsea
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Where will Guirassy fit in at Chelsea
The Blues operate in a 4-2-3-1 at the moment where the striker is likely to operate mainly in those central zones and pin the defenders while allowing the wide players (Pedro Neto and Madueke) to operate in pockets. The striker would complement midfielders like Enzo and Caicedo without drifting too deep like Jackson often does.
The number nine is more dominant in the air and is an outlet for full-backs and the number ten (Palmer when he is operating in a bit wide zones) to go for in the box.
The Blues’ current system often suffers when Jackson drifts left or fails to anticipate crosses. And Guirassy’s discipline in occupying the penalty box would give the attack a more consistent focal point.
Chelsea can leverage their relationship with Dortmund to secure Guirassy signature…
The Blues have an established relationship with Dortmund; we can still point to signing Christian Pulisic in 2019 in what was a clean, pre-negotiated deal. If we are talking more recent – there is certainly consideration for loan deals for Ian Maatsen and Carney Chukwuemeka. This corporation can help Chelsea widely given how they also have registered interest in Guirassy’s Dortmund teammate Jamie Gittens.
Author Opinion
When we are speaking about this purely from a tactical and competitive standpoint, then Serhou Guirassy will definitely be a significant upgrade over Nicolas Jackson for the upcoming 2–3 seasons. Given his lethal finishing, presence in the box and the calmness he has in big games. And these are qualities that the Blues frontline desperately lack, especially in crunch moments.
However, that being said, he is not someone you build your long-term team around, but given the 29-year-old’s limitations with mobility, he will not need more dynamic runners around him. That being said, keeping Jackson still has an upside given how he brings a sense of mobility and pressing energy.
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So selling Jackson may outright be premature, and the smarter way to go about this would be to keep Jackson and pair him with Guirassy (rotate them based on the opponents).
The Blues should be looking to sign Serhou Guirassy, in my opinion, but not look at him as a Jackson replacement.