Chelsea have reached an agreement with Serie A side, AS Roma over a move for Edin Dzeko and Emerson Palmieri for a transfer fee of £50m. An absolute bargain deal for a seasoned veteran goal scorer and a young left-back and Antonio Conte will be thrilled to implement the duo into the starting XI.
Edin Dzeko is one of the prime number nines in European football having scored 12 goals in 27 appearances for the Italian outfit this season. He has registered Premier League experience in his five-year stint with Manchester City and went on to 72 goals on 182 occasions. He was a cemented starter in Roma’s chase for a European qualification spot finish but it looks like the Financial Fair Play regulations are forcing them to part ways with the striker and one of their best young defenders.
Chelsea’s record signing, Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid had hit the ground running and proved himself to be an able replacement for Diego Costa. With 8 goals and a further 2 assists in his first few games, it looked the club had snatched away a better deal by acquiring the Spaniard over Romelu Lukaku.
However, getting sidelined with an injury completely threw him off the seamless ride and the striker has struggled ever since. The fans were left shell-shocked to see their star signing miss clear-cut chances against their rivals, Arsenal in the 2-2 league tie.
Judging by Antonio Conte’s reactions from the sidelines, it can be concluded that Chelsea can no longer rely on just Morata alone to lead them through the rest of the campaign.
On the other hand, Batshuayi has not shown the consistency Conte demands despite scoring 10 goals this season. Chelsea are already 15 points off the pace in the title race and have to buckle down from here onwards if they want to finish in a Champions League spot come May. With so many important matches coming up, the West London club need to hit the ground running and an alternative for Morata is the way to go, especially with the Blues still alive in all four competitions.
This makes the entire transfer move for Dzeko ideal for the final stretch of the current season. The Bosnian hitman is an able and willing poacher who possess other talents than just finding the back of the net, something the Blues are desperate for. The fans at the Bridge are anticipating the resurgence of Morata but if he still fails to convert, Dzeko can more than easily fill up the role with a motivated Eden Hazard next to him.
