Breaking news: Pochettino is ready to sign £180,000-a-week star who Joe Cole compared to Bellingham
Peter Crouch and Joe Cole have both suggested signing a striker upgrade on Nicolas Jackson is a must for Chelsea. The Blues only signed the Senegal international this past summer for £29milliom from Villareal and despite a bright pre-season, he has not been able to match those standards in the first two months of the 2023/24 campaign.
Jackson has scored three goals in all competitions this season and his opening spell in blue has also been impacted by suspension and a minor wrist injury. Nonetheless, he has been named in the starting XI to face Brentford with Noni Madueke also coming in for the injured Mykhailo Mudryk and Enzo Fernandez.
The absence of Christopher Nkunku has certainly affected Jackson in front of goal, although the role of Palmer in the team could help him with Pochettino choosing to deploy him in the No.10 role. However, both Crouch and Cole have made it clear a new natural striker should be signed with Ivan Toney and Victor Osimhen as the two obvious names mentioned.
“I like him, I think he’s good but I don’t think he’s the answer,” Crouch said on TNT Sport. “I think with Chelsea, as well as they did against Arsenal, I don’t think he’s the answer. I think they need a traditional No.9 – they’ve had Drogba as the main one in recent times but now they’ve been linked with Ivan Toney. If they can go out and get him, then that’d be absolutely perfect for them because what they have around that is perfect.”
Cole, who made 281 appearances for the Blues, was in agreement with his fellow pundit and he was also keen to tell Pochettino and the Chelsea owner just how to go and get the striker they want. “It’s difficult because there’s not many of them [natural strikers] around,” he admitted.
“Osimhen and Toney, the financial package you’d have to give to those players is very difficult. I think Crouchy is right because everywhere else around that No.9 space, you’re seeing a lot of positive signs and that’ll be the final piece of the jigsaw. If they find who they want, they need to stamp down, say ‘Here’s £100m’ and go get their man.”
Toney is the main name linked as it is certainly possible the Brentford striker leaves the club in the January transfer window with his ban for betting offences to end in the middle of that month. As for Osimhen, Napoli sporting director Mauro Meluso was quick to rule out a winter window exit.
“No, no way (whether players will leave in January),” he told Italian media. “Absolutely not. Our squad is very good and we feel relaxed. Of course, we can improve it but we will discuss this topic later. We will certainly get together to understand how and whether to intervene. There will be a meeting between the president and Osimhen’s entourage over the next few weeks. It is part of the game and a little time is needed to think about it.”
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