Chelsea have their task cut out for themselves after Romelu Lukaku chose Manchester United over the Stamford Bridge outfit and Diego Costa is set to leave for Atletico Madrid. In a ridiculously inflated transfer market. none of the proven striker options are cheaper than a ludicrous £75m which seems to be the present going rate for above average strikers.
If reports are to be believed, Chelsea are pursuing the signature of long-time Antonio Conte favourite, Alvaro Morata, but Real Madrid are intent on holding their ground in hopes of further driving the player’s price up. The Blues are preparing for a protracted transfer saga that may end with Morata at Chelsea or not.
Besides being linked to a whole host of strikers viz. Torino’s Andrea Belotti, and Borussia Dortmund’s Aubameyang, Chelsea are seemingly interested in 21-year-old Scottish sensation Moussa Dembele. The Frenchman is coming off the back of a superlative season with Scottish champions Celtic and has managed to find the net a whopping 32 times in 49 appearances.
Although the Premier League is a different ball-game altogether, Dembele could play second fiddle to whoever Chelsea designate as their primary striker next season. But that would naturally translate into lesser game time and the 21-year-old has to take a call whether he wants to compete for game time or be with a team where he is guaranteed a start. At his age, the latter would be a better option for the man leading Celtic’s lines.
The Frenchman made his debut with Fulham back in 2013, going on to score 19 goals in 64 appearances before making the move to Celtic in 2016. He has recently been inducted in the French under-21 team.
Ray Wilkins, former footballer, manager and television pundit is of the opinion that the striker is not ready for the Premier League yet and another year or two at Celtic could help him out in the long run. Having worked with Dembele at Fulham, Wilkins concedes the forward has immense potential but is not Premier-League ready yet.
“I was with him at Fulham with Rene Meulensteen, and he was a young man coming through.
“He has got an enormous amount of potential, but in Scotland, at the moment Celtic are just running riot.
“It has been so comfortable for him there. I think the Premier League is a totally different kettle of fish, to be perfectly honest with you, said Wilkins on The Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast show on talkSPORT on Monday morning (broadcast from 6 am, July 10, 2017) when asked if Dembele is good enough for the Premier League.
“I think this guy has the potential to be very, very good indeed, but at the moment I would say he would probably sit with his backside on the bench in one of the top four.”
Valued at around £35m the move might just work out for Chelsea, with Michy Batshuayi potentially on his way out on a loan deal. But going by Chelsea’s history,post-Abramovich, no 21-year-old has been deemed good enough to lead the lines. Tammy Abraham, the 19-year-old Chelsea academy prospect, who has impressed fans and critics alike was packed off on a season-long loan at Swansea. Conte isn’t one to put all his eggs in the Dembele basket considering he is unproven at the Premier League stage.
While highly unlikely, Chelsea might just end up surprising us all with a move for the 21-year-old Frenchman. West Ham are also interested in the player.
