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Word spread among the football fraternity very quickly about the possible transfer of Timo Werner to Chelsea after months of speculations linking him with a move to Merseyside. The sudden turn of events reportedly came out of Frank Lampard's suggestion to the Chelsea board to pull the plug on the move for Jadon Sancho as he believed the money could be better spent elsewhere.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting financial crisis in the world of football only played into the hands of Chelsea as they did not make a transfer during the two previous transfer windows, except for turning Mateo Kovacic's loan deal permanent.
With Marina Granovskaia looking to trigger the Germany international's £ 53 million release clause with RB Leipzig, let us look at where the Chelsea manager could fit Timo Werner into the Blues lineup, and what that means for the current crop of players in the team.
Would Timo Werner be the new number nine at Chelsea?
Frank Lampard had been on the lookout for a reputed forward to compete with Tammy Abraham for the starting spot. It was for this reason Lampard vehemently dissuaded wantaway striker Olivier Giroud from pursuing a winter transfer.
The Frenchman has since had a fairly unchallenged spell as the club's first-choice striker until injury woes got the better of him. Now Timo Werner's signing could put an end to that run.
The German has predominantly played in a 4-4-2 formation with another striker partner during his time at the Redbull Arena. But that formation does not look likely to figure into Lampard's plans, given the profusion of highly rated creative midfielders in his books.
It leaves Timo Werner to compete with and possibly supersede Tammy Abraham, Chelsea's youth academy product for the sole striker spot. This would force Olivier Giroud further down the pecking order and possibly Michy Batshuayi too to look elsewhere for a better future.
With 25 goals and seven assists in 29 appearances in the Bundesliga so far this season, Timo Werner's season tally appears far superior to Abraham's 13 goals and 4 assists in 25 games in the Premier League. This is despite the gulf in class between the two leagues.
To refute that argument, however, Abraham's four goals and one assist in 478 minutes pale in comparison to Timo Werner's eight goals and two assists in 579 minutes in this season's UEFA Champions League.
After conjuring these exceptional numbers, it would certainly be exciting to see these two men jostle for that coveted starting spot in the Chelsea lineup.
Would Timo Werner compete for the flanks?
Timo Werner has been deployed as a left-winger for a considerable amount of time in Leipzig, and particularly in the national team set-up.
The 24-year old made telling contributions from that position in the 2018 FIFA World Cup match against Sweden, where he provided an assist and drew the foul that eventually led to Toni Kroos' extraordinary free-kick.
Timo Werner's direct style of play aided by his swift acceleration and blistering pace could give any full-back sleepless nights. The potential signing of the German interntional could exterminate the persistent murmurs about Chelsea's inability to find the ideal replacement to the pace and trickery of Eden Hazard.
With a penchant for scoring goals, Timo Werner could go one step ahead of the Belgian and become a prolific goal-scoring winger, something Hazard was unable to achieve consistently. This would also allow Tammy Abraham to fit into the Chelsea line-up to form a devastating front line.
However, Lampard has been spoilt for choice in this department even before Timo Werner's signing. With the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Christian Pulisic and the impending arrival of Hakim Ziyech, Chelsea will have some exquisite prospects on their payroll for the next season. This could mean a limited role for an established star like Willian who doesn't have age on his side, and possibly the end of the road for Pedro at Stamford Bridge.
Hence, the move for Timo Werner looks more like one that is positioned towards strengthening the number nine position than the troop of wingers that is already brimming with potential. Only time would tell what Lampard has in mind. But it appears safe to say that the West London club has pulled off a masterstroke by signing Timo Werner. The German international is a player who can strengthen two positions at almost half the asking price of Chelsea's initial target Jadon Sancho.
