"I’d bite your hand off" - Pundit urges Chelsea to sign £18 million-rated Premier League forward 

BBC pundit Clinton Morrison has urged Chelsea to sign Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson as he believes the English forward could be a bargain signing for the Blues.

It has been reported that the Blues are willing to spend €21 million (£18 million) to secure Wilson's services. The Magpies are also looking to offload the striker in January to raise money to comply with FFP regulations.

However, Chelsea will face competition from Arsenal and Manchester United, who've been informed of his availability, according to the Evening Standard.

Morrison has urged the west Londoners to ramp up their efforts and actively pursue Wilson this window, especially if the striker is available at the aforementioned price. The BBC pundit said (as quoted by TBR Football):

“Chelsea need a centre forward, Cole Palmer is not a centre forward. They were linked to Callum Wilson and if you can get him for £18 million, I’d bite your hand off.”

Wilson has scored eight goals and provided one assist in 20 appearances across competitions for the Magpies so far this season. However, he has struggled with injuries, dealing with hamstring issues and missing ten games for Newcastle earlier in the campaign. Wilson is currently on the sidelines due to a calf injury.

Chelsea have been linked with other strikers as well, including Brentford forward Ivan Toney and Napoli's Victor Osimhen. However, the latter recently signed a contract extension, which means a January move is unlikely.

Pochettino reflects on Chelsea's performance in goalless draw against Aston Villa

Chelsea locked horns with Aston Villa in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Friday night (January 26). The match ended in a goalless stalemate at Stamford Bridge, requiring a replay to determine which team will progress to the fifth round.

In his post-match press conference, Pochettino was asked whether the result indicates that reinforcements are required up front. The Argentine boss replied (as quoted by Football.london):

"Yes, but for both sides, no? They have amazing players in attack, different players and they didn't score and we kept a clean sheet. These types of games are even and of course, when you face a team like Aston Villa, it is always difficult. Of course, we didn't score but we created chances."

Citing his side's dominant 6-1 victory in the Carabao Cup semi-final clash against Middlesbrough on Tuesday (January 23), the former Tottenham Hotspur manager added:

"I trust and believe in my players, for sure, playing this way, we are going to score. We came from Tuesday where we scored six. I think the keeper is an amazing keeper, Emiliano [Martinez], he was really, really good. Yes, sometimes you need some luck to score."

The Blues are currently ninth in the Premier League table, 12 points adrift of the top four. They will next face Liverpool at Anfield on January 31.