When Chelsea signed Loïc Rémy from Queens Park Rangers at the close of the summer transfer window in August, they knew they were acquiring a player capable of leading their front line in the Premier League. After crossing the channel from France’s Ligue 1, Rémy had established himself as a legitimate goal-scoring threat in England prior to his move to West London, netting 20 times in 40 Premier League appearances at QPR and Newcastle, respectively, including 14 goals in 26 loan appearances for the Magpies in 2013-14.
The arrival of Diego Costa, Chelsea’s big-name addition up front over the summer, was highly anticipated, and the £32 million man had already made a clear statement on his intentions in England by the time of Rémy’s arrival, banging in four goals in his first three Premier League appearances.
With Costa cemented as Chelsea’s number one option atop José Mourinho’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, Rémy was not added to be the Blues’ primary target man, but rather to provide much needed depth behind the Spaniard alongside the veteran Didier Drogba. That depth was of critical concern not only because of attrition from last season’s strike force, which saw the departures of Demba Ba, Samuel Eto’o and Fernando Torres, but also because of inherent durability worries regarding Costa’s hamstring.
Costa’s ongoing hamstring troubles – which flared up once again on Saturday against Stoke City after nagging the striker in the early season – plagued Diego down the stretch of last year’s La Liga title run and eventual Champions League Final appearance with Atlético Madrid. Chelsea knew that they needed reliable production behind him in addition to the now 37-year-old Drogba, and Rémy provided exactly that.
Now that Costa appears to be set for an extended leave thanks to the all-too-familiar hammy, Rémy’s presence proves crucial as he moves into the Chelsea starting XI at an important juncture in Chelsea’s season. With eight matches remaining and a seven-point advantage over Arsenal in the table, the Blues have seen their magic number for clinching the league reduced to 15 points.
While the loss of Costa, who is tied atop the Premier League scoring list with 19 goals, is undoubtedly a major one, having a second option the caliber of Rémy provides great consolation for the Blues.
“It’s a shame for the team because we all know Diego is a very good player and he’s scored so many goals for us this season,” Rémy told Chelsea’s official site. “When I play I just try to do my best and it’s a great opportunity for me to show I can be important for the squad as well.”
The Frenchman, who scored 49 times in all competitions for Marseille and Nice from 2009-2013, is an excellent fit as the lone striker for Chelsea and is more than capable of seeing the team through the rest of the campaign should Costa be unable to return. Rémy faced a setback of his own in the form of a groin injury suffered while scoring a goal in Champions League competition in October, and he’s not been thrilled to spend much of the season since then on the bench, but he is a competitor and has done well to stay fit and ready whenever he is called upon, according to the Special One.
“Rémy keeps himself in great condition, even without having played many minutes, to be ready for us,” Mourinho said following Saturday’s victory over Stoke.
That readiness has been on display in recent weeks, with Rémy netting match-winners in each of Chelsea’s last two fixtures at Hull City and at home against Stoke. Although the Lyon native has seen fewer than 500 minutes of action in league play this season, his production when on the pitch has been stellar; Rémy has scored five times in the Premier League this campaign, averaging a goal for every 92 minutes of game time, or roughly a goal per game.
Although Loïc cannot rival the power and ferocity that Costa brings to this Chelsea side, he provides a similar scoring threat in his own way. Standing in at only 5-foot-10 with a slight frame to boot, Rémy is surprisingly adept with his hold-up play and ability to bring other teammates into attack. Where he really excels, though, is with his pace and ability to run on to balls and finish with precision. He is able to shoot from distance or jab home inside the penalty area, as he showed with his last two goals – one a poke from about 10 yards at Hull and the other an easy stroke from the six-yard box against Stoke.
That predatory instinct is something that Mourinho loves to see from his strikers, as the manager noted on Saturday.
“When Eden [Hazard] recovered the ball from a loose throw from Asmir Begovic, you could see immediately Rémy sprinted to score what I call an easy goal,” Mourinho said. “But I love strikers to score easy goals. The tap-in when the goalkeeper has an incomplete save, attacking the ball on a low cross, rebounds – I love the easy goals from a striker.“
Rémy is more than just a predatory finisher, however, and also provides a dangerous threat in the counter attack. He has displayed an ability to score in a variety of ways for Chelsea so far, from his 20-yard left-footed strike against Maribor, to his overpowering run at Jan Vertonghen and ensuing finish past Hugo Lloris against Tottenham, to slotting home a Hazard cross against Manchester City.
As the Blues watch their magic number shrink and the end of the season grows nearer, all Chelsea need from Rémy is more of the same – he’s secured six massive points for CFC in their last two outings.
He won’t be alone, working with the Premier League’s best player in Eden Hazard, and along with the Belgian Rémy will always have two more quality players behind him in the attacking midfield to provide ammunition, not to mention the passing mastery of Cesc Fàbregas from the deep-lying midfield. As the title chase draws to an end and Chelsea continue to sit in pole position, the August addition of Rémy could prove vital if he maintains his production level down the stretch run.
After waiting in the wings for most of the campaign, Rémy will now be Chelsea’s go-to centre forward, starting this weekend at Loftus Road against his former club, QPR.
