Chelsea once again proved their ability to spend big in the summer with yet another major overhaul of players, resulting in an incredible number of incomings and departures. Yet, here they are, four games into the Premier League season, a reported €462m (£396m) spent, and there are still plenty of concerns.
The Blues have won just once in the league so far this season, which came against newly-promoted Luton Town. Aside from those three points, Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure has started with a draw against Liverpool on the opening day and defeats against West Ham United and Nottingham Forest, in what has been a disastrous first few weeks.
Now, it looks as though the London giants are looking to spend their way out of trouble once again, with one particular player eyed to finally solve their goalscoring problems.
What’s the latest Chelsea transfer news?
Despite spending close to £400m, Chelsea’s problems in front of goal have not disappeared this season.The hope was that the arrival of Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku would have put an end to their constant drought of goals, but after Nkunku suffered an injury in pre-season, the Blues were left in desperate need of a quick start from Jackson.
The forward has only shown glimpses, however, scoring just once in five games to turn Chelsea’s attention towards January reinforcements. With that said, according to 90min, the Blues are readying a move for Brentford striker Ivan Toney, after another report earlier in the week revealed their interest.
Brentford are reportedly hoping that their star striker – who shares the same agency as Ben Chilwell – puts pen to paper on a new deal at the club, with his current deal coming to an end in 2025. When Toney returns from his ban, it will certainly be intriguing to see how much interest he receives, especially if he hits the ground running.
Should Chelsea sign Ivan Toney?
Whilst there may be some concerns about the form that Toney will return in after being forced to sit out for several months, this is still the striker that scored 20 goals in the Premier League last season that we’re talking about. And goals are exactly what Chelsea need.
Statistically speaking, Toney was a cut above every one of Chelsea’s attacking options last season, as per FBref, perhaps making his arrival imperative in January.
Player |
Goals |
Assists |
Expected Goals |
Ivan Toney |
20 |
4 |
18.7 |
Raheem Sterling |
6 |
3 |
6.2 |
Kai Havertz |
7 |
1 |
11.6 |
Joao Felix |
8 |
3 |
7.7 |
Arguably the most impressive stat is that Toney outperformed his expected goals last season, scoring 20 from 18.7 expected goals, whilst Chelsea’s options last season underperformed in that area, in what is damning evidence of their struggles.
It is the type of performance that often comes with plenty of praise, and that’s exactly what Toney received from Brentford manager Thomas Frank, who said, via Anfield Watch: “[Ivan Toney] was close-ish to being on the bench and available. Ivan is a monster, he is capable of dealing with a lot of pain and niggles.”
With that said, the January transfer window will certainly be an interesting one to keep an eye on, especially if Chelsea decide to pursue Toney’s signature.