Chelsea might still be in the hunt for a Champions League spot, but the absence of a strong goal scorer is costing them dearly when it comes to reaching the next level.
Whilst a place at Europe’s elite table is certainly going to be the aim for this season, a club with such a rich Premier League tradition will surely be hoping to challenge for a title soon.
The recent arrival of Gonzalo Higuain may well have placated fans for now; he was once one of the best in the world. He may still have something to offer, but is a 32-year-old going to have the impact of Aguero in his pomp, or Salah? Even the fellow title outcasts such as Arsenal and Spurs have Pierre Aubameyang and Harry Kane scoring goals.
Whilst Eden Hazard is carrying a certain responsibility, he’s not primarily a centre forward and the lack of input from the central areas has been damaging this season. Putting aside the unique 4-0 humbling at Bournemouth, Chelsea have only lost games by the odd goal. They’re small margins but with huge repercussions.
Their centre forward Olivier Giroud can only be found in the Premier League top goal scorer betting below Paul Pogba and Glenn Murray. That’s not acceptable, not for a club wanting to be real title contenders.
Higuain’s brace against Huddersfield went some way to underlining the initial impact he’s set to have and perhaps they can get a season out of him. Beyond that, they need a solid answer to that striker question and it may not be a big spend.
Tammy Abraham is a Chelsea player in a rich vein of form this season. He’s on loan in the Championship with Aston Villa and despite Dean Smith’s side ailing somewhat, he’s proving to be a real hit. He’s got 19 goals in 24 appearances and is proving to be a sensational hit at Villa Park.
The 21-year-old has 47 league goals in 79 starts at senior level, all coming from loan spells not only in the Midlands, but also with Bristol City and Swansea. He’s an agile forward, clinical when presented with a chance but with a good aerial ability too.
He’s one of the numerous young players trying to break through at Chelsea and finding the route to goal blocked, but by whom? The Blues don’t have an out and out striker in double figures, yet their own golden boy is cast aside in the second-tier.
The top Premier League clubs have a huge amount of young talent stashed away, but when teams like Chelsea chose to go with Giroud instead of a player like Abraham, it is surely a concern for the English game. If Abraham was showing that form for a European team, he’d be linked with a multi-million pound move to Chelsea.
Instead, because he’s been at Stamford Bridge for such a long time, he’s almost at a disadvantage. That’s a shame for Blues fans because until they find a Harry Kane all of their own, or have the courage to develop one, they’ll always be on the periphery of the title race.
