Premier League side Chelsea have scored fewer goals (19) than Manchester City striker Erling Haaland (20) so far this season. It’s a damning statistic for the eighth-placed Blues even if, in only his 14th league appearance for City, Haaland has become the fastest player to hit the 20-goal mark in Premier League history.
Chelsea’s 19 goals are only one more than 14th-placed Bournemouth and 24 behind the Premier League’s top scorers: unsurprisingly, second-placed City at 43.
So what can they do? The January window is approaching and, with Armando Broja injured, Chelsea need to sign a central striker to take the goal-scoring burden alongside veteran Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and converted midfielder Kai Havertz.
With expensive transfer mistakes in Romelu Lukaku (€115 million, now on loan at Inter Milan) and Timo Werner (signed for €53m in 2020 and returned to RB Leipzig for €30m two years later) still fresh in the mind, the club have some decisions to make. Having already snapped up Andrey Santos (€12.5m) and David Datro Fofana (€10m), here’s who else they could target.
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Last January’s €70m signing from Fiorentina is yet to fulfil expectations at Juventus but, in the wake of a turbulent year in Turin, Vlahovic still has 16 goals in 36 Serie A games for the club.
While there is no indication yet that Juventus are actively looking to move on the Serbia international after just one year, their current financial circumstances (with a record loss of €254.3m for 2021-22) may prompt an opportunity to snap him up.
One of the most naturally talented out-and-out centre-forwards around, Vlahovic could add more aggression in attacking duels and improve his participation in the build-up, but his aerial timing, quick finishing technique and ability to pull away from his marker in the box make him a highly intriguing transfer target.
Clashing with defensive-minded manager Diego Simeone, his defensive/pressing contributions have improved, but the Portugal international is a fountain of creativity who generally needs to roam free and find space on instinct. Equipped with a sublime first touch, the intelligence to set up neat one-twos and triangles, plus the imagination to play deceptive passes to his teammates, he could thrive as a “false No. 9” in a possession-based side.
Given his start-stop progression over the past years, Felix may still be a gamble given a reported €100m transfer fee (or €8m loan fee), yet the potential upside is significant.
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Having been in the spotlight since he made his debut and scored in the Champions League for Dortmund days after turning 16, it’s hard to believe that Moukoko is only just 18. His mini-breakthrough this season — taking over from the departed Erling Haaland — saw him score six goals in 14 games before the World Cup and, with his contract expiring in 2023, has predictably led to mounting speculation about his future.
At this point of his development, the Cameroon-born Germany international would be more of a long-term project for an ambitious Premier League side, but the prospect of landing one of the top teenage talents in Europe on the cheap is enticing for Todd Boehly and company.
With speed and excellent dribbling skills, Moukoko is primarily a threat on counterattacks and transitions, though his ever-improving finishing abilities and venomous left-foot shot also give him an edge in tight spaces in the box.
