Krzysztof Piatek during his time at Genoa. (Getty Images)
According to Calciomercato, Chelsea are interested in signing Genoa forward Krzysztof Piatek in January but will face stiff competition from the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona.
Piatek rose to prominence with a fruitful spell at Polish club Cracovia where he scored 32 goals from 63 appearances. Subsequently, he moved to the Serie A with Genoa earlier in the summer. Since then, his stocks have soared even higher.
Piatek might not have been among the most familiar names last season but he has established himself as one of the most prolific goal scorers in Italian football in the current campaign.
The 23-year-old has scored goals at an alarming rate, having scored 13 goals from 9 games across all competitions, including four goals in a single game in the Coppa Italia.
And Chelsea are in dire need of a prolific centre-forward who can deliver goals on a regular basis. As compared to the likes of Roberto Firmino, Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane, Chelsea’s strikers Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud haven’t delivered consistently.
Their failure to find the back of the net has been partially masked by Eden Hazard’s incredible goalscoring form but the strikers need to play their part.
The lack of a prolific goal-scorer might be a major roadblock in Chelsea’s chances of winning the Premier League. Alvaro Morata has established himself as a glaring liability and the Spaniard has often made a mockery of himself by failing to convert the simplest of chances.
Olivier Giroud has done a decent enough job and has chipped in with four assists so far but Chelsea need someone who can relieve the pressure off Hazard’s shoulders. Furthermore, the Frenchman is already 32 and is likely to call it a day sooner or later.
Suffice to say, Chelsea need a complete centre-forward to not only win the Premier League this season but also to avoid a potential crisis in the future. And going by current form, there can’t be any better choice than the 23-year-old Polish international.
Genoa currently rate him at around €30-35 million but his price might soar higher depending on the number of goals he scores till January.
Piatek is blessed with excellent technical abilities which allow him to receive the ball with minimal first-touch errors and run comfortably. Standing at 6 ft, Piatek has commendable close control for a player of his height and combines it with his pace, technique and aggressiveness to run past the defenders. He is extremely confident and backs himself to get the better of the defenders in one-on-one situations.
However, the most impressive part of his game is his finishing, which is comparable to the best in the business. The Pole uses his awareness to make subtle runs behind the defenders and is adept at putting away passes and crosses from narrow angles.
To go with all his attributes, his ability to score goals with both head and feet deserves special mention. The 23-year-old has averaged 5.3 shots and 2.1 aerial duels per game in the Serie A this season.
Hence, Maurizio Sarri should not hesitate to splash the cash and sign Piatek in January. Signing the clinical finisher could definitely turn Chelsea into strong title contenders.