Mauro Icardi was a prolific goalscorer for Inter Milan. (Getty Images)
According to the Express, Chelsea have been linked with a £90million swoop for Inter Milan striker Mauro Icardi in January.
Citing Alvaro Morata’s poor run of form this season, Maurizio Sarri has made it clear that he needs reinforcements in the forward line to challenge for the title. Even the club management is ready to back their manager who endured a tough time in the summer after taking over only weeks before the start of the season. (h/t Express)
It has been a splendid start to the season for the Blues under their new manager. In fact, few would have expected Sarri to be an instant hit in the Premier League but he has silenced all his critics by successfully establishing his ‘Sarri Ball’ style of play in England.
Along with Manchester City and Liverpool, Chelsea are tied on points atop the Premier League standings and the Blues will have their work cut out when they face Manchester United at the Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
The manager should have every reason to boast about his team’s goal scoring credentials as well, having scored 18 so far- only behind Manchester City (21) and Arsenal (19).
Eden Hazard has taken his game to a new level and Sarri’s free-flowing style of football has brought the best out of the Belgian maestro. With 7 goals and 3 assists from 8 games so far, few would bet against him winning the Golden Boot this term.
However, Chelsea should be concerned about the lacklustre form of their centre-forward Alvaro Morata. The Spaniard made a bright start to his life in the Premier League scoring eight goals in his first nine matches under Antonio Conte but his impact soon faded away. In fact, he has managed to score only three this term, only one out of which has come in the Premier League.
The Spaniard seems to have lost the instinctive poaching ability and the clinical finishing that used to make him such a dangerous threat back in his Juventus days. Quite clearly, he has been off the pace and hasn’t managed to tuck away even the simplest of chances from close range. Furthermore, his confidence has taken a battering due to his poor form and he needs a move to some other league to rediscover his mojo as a striker.
Olivier Giroud has done a wonderful job as Chelsea’s target man. The Frenchman has linked up brilliantly with Eden Hazard and Willian and has chipped in with four assists in the Premier League. However, he is already 32 and the fact that he hasn’t scored yet this season should tempt the Blues to buy a prolific striker.
Mitchy Batshuayi is still quite young and does not have the quality to deliver silverware at the highest level. Hence, Chelsea should not hesitate to splash 90 million to secure the services of Inter Milan’s prolific centre-forward Mauro Icardi.
Frankly speaking, it is very difficult to find a centre-forward with such a prolific goalscoring record. Icardi scored 24 goals in the Serie A in the 2016-17 season and followed it up with another stellar season where he scored 29 in the league. Quite clearly, he has scored an insane number of goals in Italian football.
The 25-year-old Argentine has got everything in his repertoire to achieve success in the Premier League. Not only is he strong and well built for a centre-forward but also has that positional awareness to make runs behind the defenders. He uses his strength to hustle his way past the defenders and his good technique allows him to run comfortably with the ball at his feet. In other words, Icardi has a sound tactical understanding of the game, something that should help him fit at Chelsea.
Standing at just a shade less than 6ft. In height, Icardi is not the tallest of centre-forward’s but makes up for it with his ability to time his jump to perfection. A good reader of the ball in the air, he is adept at winning headers, which makes him a genuine threat from corners and set-pieces.
The Argentine is always good at hold-up play and tends of shield the ball very well from the defenders. He also sets up goals by holding the ball and releasing his teammates with perfectly laid passes in the final third, something that should make him the ideal person to complement Eden Hazard.
Having said that, a striker of Icardi’s calibre is definitely capable of delivering silverware anywhere across the world and Chelsea should sign him in January to challenge the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City for the title.