Diego Costa, the bad boy of world football, might be a hated figure among the neutrals but for Chelsea fans, he is nothing short of a hero. It’s only his third season at Stamford Bridge but the Brazil-born Spanish international could taste Premier League triumph for the second time in just three years.
Costa has been immense in front of goal for the Blues this season and jointly tops the scoring charts now. If not for the 28-year-old, things could have been much different. His decisiveness and fighting attitude has given Conte’s boys a whole new dimension, attacking wise.
Chelsea are pretty much in the driving seat in the race for the Premier League crown but Conte hardly has any time to relax after what he experienced in January regarding the future of Costa. We all know how Chelsea were troubled by a bid from Chinese side Tianjin Quanjian for their lethal finisher Diego Costa in January and the cash-rich club from China could once again test Costa’s resilience.
So, it is high time Chelsea look for attacking reinforcements in the summer. Even if Costa decides to stay at the club, the Blues should bring another striker at Stamford Bridge because they will need a much better squad depth next season as they will certainly be in Europe next time out.
Here are five strikers Chelsea should look forward to signing in the summer.
#1 Andrea Belotti
A rumour surfaced in the closing stages of the January transfer window that Chelsea’s technical director Michael Emenalo had travelled to Italy to complete a deal for Torino striker, Andrea Belotti. The 23-year-old is right now one of the most sought out players in Europe and it is hardly a surprise. Belotti is the future of Italian football and who would know it better than former Italy manager, Conte!
The Chelsea manager knows Italian football inside out from his time in Italy when he ruled Serie A and Belotti is one of the very best in the division.
Still just 23 years of age, Belotti has a bright future ahead of him and already finds himself as a target of European heavyweights like Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool. However, if all three are interested in him, he should not find it hard to choose Chelsea ahead of the Gunners and the Reds due to Conte’s presence.
A lethal finisher and a striker who brings his teammates into the game, the 23-year-old has all it takes to achieve success at Chelsea under Conte.
#2 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Aubameyang, one of the best strikers in the world right now, recently made a statement in public that he wants to leave Borussia Dortmund in the summer as he feels that this is the right time for him to play at the next level.
After such a big claim, the Gabon international is likely to be the centre of attention in the summer. One of the fastest players in the world and someone who has scored 30+ goals for fun in the past few seasons, he can be the ideal the replacement of Diego Costa up front.
Just like Costa, Aubameyang is a complete forward and proven in Europe. In just 166 games for Borussia Dortmund, he has scored 100 goals already, while setting up 32 which is a huge figure for a number nine. He would do really well in Conte’s system where the striker operates from a deeper position and initiates the attack on his own.
His pace is an asset which would make Chelsea deadly on the break. If Costa stays and Aubameyang joins Chelsea, it will be nothing short of a nightmare for opposition defenders.
#3 Timo Werner
The golden boy of German football, Timo Werner would be a brilliant addition to Chelsea. The 20-year-old has been a revelation for RB Leipzig this season since signing for the cash-rich German side from Stuttgart. In just 18 Bundesliga games, he has found the back of the net 11 times this campaign and has shown incredible promise. Capped 45 times for different German youth setups, a call-up to the senior team does not seem too far away for him.
Werner’s style of play will be well-suited for Chelsea. He is not the tallest of forwards, neither the strongest, but his game is all about his incredible link up play, positioning and pace. Regardless of Diego Costa’s future at Chelsea, Werner, therefore, would be a brilliant addition to the Blues.
#4 Mauro Icardi
How often do you see the captain and the best player of a club not a popular figure among the fans despite playing out of his skin? Well, Mauro Icardi's feud with Inter's Ultras earlier this season was certainly one of those rare occurrences. Inter Milan are doing well, lately, after a poor start to the season but Icardi as an individual, has been a stellar performer for the Serie A side for a long time now.
The 23-year-old is ready to take the next step in his career and could be the perfect replacement or partner of Costa at Chelsea, literally. While the other options in the list just bring the goalscoring ability of Costa, Icardi also will come with that bad boy attitude!
#5 Karim Benzema
Well, you must be wondering why the Frenchman would leave Real Madrid to join Chelsea but there is a big equation behind this. As we mentioned earlier, Aubameyang has publicly stated that he wants to leave Borussia Dortmund in the summer in order to take the next step in his career and we all know the mutual interest of the Gabon international and Real Madrid.
Aubameyang could very well replace Benzema at Santiago Bernabeu in the summer and Chelsea could use the opportunity to bring the experienced forward at Stamford Bridge. Benzema might not be the best finisher in the world but he is easily the most complete striker in the world by a distance, and his unselfish foil and ability to operate from a deeper position suits Conte’s system perfectly.
