Chelsea have taken “serious steps” for a major signing with manager Mauricio Pochettino giving his green-light to the move.
Who have Chelsea signed?
The west London club spent nearly £400 million over the 2023 summer transfer window; sealing an array of incomings in a serious statement of intent by Todd Boehly and his co-sporting directors – Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley. Chelsea put pen to paper on deals for Christopher Nkunku, Axel Disasi, Nicolas Jackson, Lesley Ugochukwu, Robert Sanchez, Romeo Lavia, Moises Caicedo, Cole Palmer, Djordje Petrovic, Angelo and Deivid Washington before deadline day, but their impressive business hasn’t exactly translated to good results on the field.
Pochettino’s side have won just two games so far this season, coming against Luton Town and west London rivals Fulham. Chelsea dropped points against West Ham, Nottingham Forest, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Bournemouth, with a trip to Burnley up next before another international break. They haven’t been helped by injuries to star players, though, with Nkunku, Lavia, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, Reece James, Carney Chukwuemeka, Marcus Bettinelli and Benot Badiashile all sidelined recently.
Chelsea transfer news
There are clearly still gaping holes to fix in Pochettino’s squad and one of the most obvious ones is signing a new striker. Chelsea are among the division’s lowest scorers; going without a goal since late August before their recent 2-1 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage.
As a result, it has been reported that a new centre-forward signing could be on the cards for 2024. Napoli striker Victor Osimhen and Brentford star Ivan Toney are two names repeatedly linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, with a report by TEAMtalk sharing news on the latter.
According to their information, Chelsea are one of two clubs who’ve taken “serious steps” to sign the Englishman in January as they attempt to work out the conditions of a January deal. This comes after Pochettino’s personal “approval” for the transfer, and Chelsea are willing to get it done despite Toney being outside their usual target age range.
Pochettino is apparently “determined” to strengthen his attack in the winter window, and Toney is somebody he would like to work with this season. Super-agent Jonathan Barnett signed the forward to his agency recently, and Chelsea apparently have a very good relationship with him.
How good is Ivan Toney?
Before his ban for alleged gambling breaches, which is set to end mid-way through January, Toney was in fine form for Brentford. He scored 20 goals last season in the league alone, with his manager Thomas Frank calling him a “remarkable” player.
Ivan is amazing in many, many aspects,” Frank said earlier this year. “The way he copes with pressure and distractions is amazing. He’s been scoring goals, performing for the team and driving the team. He’s remarkable. I can only talk about the Ivan that I see every day around the place and he’s a fantastic person around the group. He’s got that unique emotional intelligence to be aware of all the players, and every staff member.”.
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