Chelsea have been linked with a proven striker who’s available on a free transfer - but would he be the right fit for them?
Chelsea enter the summer transfer window on the hunt for a centre-forward – yet again. João Pedro has been a success story up front, but the search for a second striker to balance out the squad has been interminable, with Liam Delap the latest signing to fail to find form at Stamford Bridge. This time, the Blues might just go for a forward with a more proven track record at the top level.
Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonsoplaceholder image
Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso | Getty Images
TEAMtalk are among several media outlets to report that Chelsea are interested in Serbian striker Dušan Vlahović, who is set to leave Juventus on a free transfer at the end of the month. The 26-year-old has passed double figures in each of the last six seasons in Italy – but would he be the right man to finally end the long pursuit of a number nine?
Will Chelsea sign Dušan Vlahović this summer?
According to several sources in the Italian media, Vlahović has decided to leave Juventus upon the expiry of his contract this month following discussions with the Serie A side’s directors on Wednesday – bringing to an end a lengthy saga in which the Serbian appeared to sway back and forth as he decided whether or not to accept an extension.
His salary demands appear to have been the primary sticking point. Juventus reportedly need to raise at least £25m this summer in order to break even as their financial situation worsens, and they appear to have decided not to meet Vlahović’s demands as they tighten their collective belt.
The result is that a proven top-flight striker is now set to hit the free market in the midst of what should be his peak years – a rare occurrence which presents an equally rare opportunity for Chelsea to sign a long-standing transfer target without breaking the bank.
Chelsea have long been linked with a move for Vlahović, whose Juventus future has been in perennial doubt over the past two years. Now, TEAMtalk claim that Chelsea have followed up that interested and have already been in contact with the player’s representatives, taking the first step towards signing a player they have admired for some time.
There will, however, almost certainly be other clubs in the mix. The Evening Standard notes that both Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle have also been monitoring him for some time, while outlets in Europe have already reported interested from at least a dozen clubs ranging from Barcelona to Napoli to Everton.
In short, Chelsea will have competition – but they also have the spending power to outgun many of the other teams said to be in the race. While they need to be wary of the Premier League’s new spending rules, they are free from having to worry about UEFA’s more stringent regulations for another season and seem likely to raise a substantial sum from the expected sale of Enzo Fernández.
All of which should put Chelsea in a strong position to get a deal done, but it’s far too early to know whether they are likely to succeed with a bid if they do indeed make one. Vlahović may have finally made his long-awaited decision to leave Juventus, but we’re still some distance from knowing his next steps.
Is Vlahović the striker Chelsea have been waiting for?
The curiosity behind Chelsea’s apparent pursuit of Vlahović is that the Serbian has a very different playing profile than the forwards that the club have actually bought in recent years. Where the likes of Delap and Nicolas Jackson are pacy players who thrive off the shoulder of the last defender, Vlahović is much closer to the archetype of the traditional target man.
Although relatively quick, Vlahović has never had the degree of technique or ball control required to be effective in behind high defensive lines or the ability to beat defenders one-on-one reliably – and nor does he have the creative qualities often found in forwards like João Pedro who can operate in the channels.
While a new manager may well change the way Chelsea conceive of the strikers they try to sign, their pursuit of Vlahović pre-dates the appointment of Xabi Alonso and it’s hard to see the logical thread which runs between the signing of players like João Pedro, Delap and Jackson and the desire to sign Vlahović. They are very different players who suit different systems.
Alonso is purportedly set to enjoy more control over transfers than his predecessors under the current ownership, and may appreciate the variety that adding Vlahović to the attack could offer – providing a focal point to the attack to allow the more technical players around him to flourish. There certainly isn’t much wrong with his hold-up play.
His success or failure as a striker at Stamford Bridge would, of course, be determined by the number of goals he scores, and it’s fair to say that his work at Juventus makes it hard to determine just how much of a hit he’d be. Since topping the Serie A scoring charts with Fiorentina, he has often been a frustrating and inconsistent figure.
Bursts of brilliant goalscoring form have been interspersed with droughts in which he has found himself becalmed, and his sum total of 68 goals in 168 games tells the story fairly well: While unplayable on his day and capable of the spectacular, he has never been consistent enough to completely convince the fanbase of his value. Their playing styles may be very different, but his record in front of goal is eerily similar to Jackson’s, and he never really found an appreciative audience in West London.
Signing Vlahović may be free on the balance sheet, but would represent a gamble on his ability to find his best form for longer spells and represent a significant about-turn in terms of the profile of the players Chelsea are signing. That, or it might suggest that they don’t have a coherent profile in mind at all. That could be rather more worrying if it is the case.
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