Chelsea in talks to sign £65m “powerhouse”

Since Diego Costa left Chelsea back in 2017, the Blues have struggled to find a centre-forward worthy of leading the line.

The Spanish forward netted 59 goals and provided 21 assists in his 120 appearances for the club, totaling 9,799 minutes played.

Chelsea strikers that have attempted to fill this void include Álvaro Morata, Olivier Giroud, Romelu Lukaku, Tammy Abraham and Nicolas Jackson, none of whom have managed a 20+ goal season.

Jackson feels as though he may have the potential to do just that but he needs to work on his finishing, notably failing to score from five shots against Ipswich on Sunday afternoon.

Costa was known for being a handful for defenders, running the channels, turning half-chances into big chances and, of course, scoring goals.

Chelsea are still looking to replace that presence upfront, and this summer could play a big part in doing so.

The Blues have been linked with a number of forwards in recent months, with one of those being Ipswich’s Liam Delap.

Yet, there’s a striker with even more talent in Chelsea’s crosshairs…

Indeed, according to reports from TEAMtalk, Chelsea have held direct talks with the entourage of Viktor Gyokeres, confirming their interest in the Sporting CP striker ahead of the summer transfer window.

A deal for the Sweden international would likely cost around £65m, which Chelsea are said to deem as “fair” price.

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That being said, Chelsea aren’t the only club interested in the 26-year-old forward, as Arsenal and Newcastle are also said to be eyeing the striker this summer.

Much of this could depend on the future of Alexander Isak, as he is also a target for Arsenal, whilst Newcastle will only likely move for a forward if the Swedish striker leaves the club.

Gyokeres has made 45 appearances so far this season, scoring 44 goals, providing 11 assists and totaling 3,610 minutes played.

While some have doubts over how he could translate these numbers to the Premier League, one man who could help is Chelsea’s star man, Cole Palmer.

How Gyokeres could benefit Cole Palmer at Chelsea

It’s safe to say that if Gyokeres joined Chelsea this summer he would have the potential to be that 20-goal-a-season man they have been craving since the days of Costa.

Analyst Ben Mattinson described the Swede as a “powerhouse”, comparing him to a “steam train” once he gets going in motion. His ability to make runs and create something out of nothing is very similar to Costa, who would often hustle to create his own chances. As a result, he could be game-changing for Palmer.

Palmer has suffered from a poor vein of form in recent weeks, going ten Premier League games without a goal, only assisting three goals in this timeframe.

That said, the 22-year-old attacking midfielder has the highest xA (expected assists) in the Premier League this season, generating 7.9 xA so far.

As you can see from comparing the underlying metrics of Gyokeres and Palmer, Chelsea’s star could benefit by having a clinical striker in and around the box.

Unlike Jackson, he needs someone who is ready to finish those chances he is serving up week on week. Gyokeres averages 0.66 xG per 90, scoring 1.19 goals per 90 and scoring 0.18 goals/shot, which would only help Palmer’s numbers.

Whilst the Englishman clearly has a good relationship with Jackson, adding a striker like Gyokeres, who can bring the same physical traits that Costa had to the club, whilst not losing the channel running and link-up play offered by Jackson, could be the happy medium to finding the Blues’ perfect striker.

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