Leroy Sane in action for Germany. (imago Images)
As per Express (h/t football.london), Chelsea are linked with a move for Leroy Sane. The Bayern Munich star was recently booed in a 3-2 win over Koln after being brought off at half-time. He still has close to four years on his contract left at Allianz Arena, but he could return to the Premier League.
Sane made his name at Schalke in Bundesliga, which led Manchester City to come in for him in 2016. After four trophy-laden years in Manchester, the 25-year-old joined Bayern Munich in a £54.8million move. But after such a short spell at the Bavarian club, could Sane be back in England in the future? And more importantly, is he a player that Thomas Tuchel needs at Chelsea?
Chelsea don’t have a shortage of attackers. They are the current UEFA Champions League holders, after all, and you don’t win that trophy unless you have a top-quality squad. Thomas Tuchel, ever since coming in to replace Frank Lampard, has used a 3-4-2-1 formation at the club.
That set-up sees two attacking wing-backs, with the two attackers besides the number 9 playing as inside forwards at times. Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic, and Hakim Ziyech have all shared game-time in that position. Moreover, the club have also retained Ross Barkley for this season.
Amidst this, getting in Leroy Sane would cause one of the aforementioned players to drop out of the team. What’s more curious is the potential addition of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Timo Werner in the equation. Werner was Chelsea’s number 9 last season but has now fallen behind Romelu Lukaku in the pecking order.
The German striker has often played as a winger in the past, and could be utilized in that position again. On top of that, a young and talented winger in Hudson-Odoi is already struggling for starts at the club. Thus, instead of focusing on new names, Tuchel has enough options at the club already.
There is also the question of finances. With a little under four years still left on Sane’s Bayern deal, the German champions would hold an upper hand in any potential negotiations.
The Essen-born winger may have 36 caps to his name for the German national team, but Tuchel has no urgent need for him. The Blues have talented players at their disposal and focusing on getting in a central defender, perhaps, seems like a better option for now considering Thiago Silva’s age and Kurt Zouma, Fikayo Tomori, and Marc Guehi’s summer exits.
