Why Chelsea signing Dries Mertens would be a smart move
According to Football.london, Chelsea have made contact with Napoli for £8m striker Dries Mertens.
The report also adds that the Blues were linked with moves for Edinson Cavani and Krzysztof Piatek earlier but have now turned their attention towards Mertens. And they are waiting for a response from the Serie A side.
Meanwhile, it’s quite interesting that Chelsea boss Frank Lampard hasn’t signed any new players despite having their ban lifted.
Even after starting the season on a high note, Chelsea have been inconsistent in their performances. Their away loss to Newcastle two weeks back and a draw against Arsenal in the last outing has yielded them just one point out of a possible six.
Though they are in the 4th position in the league, it must be noted that they are over-reliant on the young Tammy Abraham to score goals.
Senior figures like Pedro, Olivier Giroud and Michy Batshuayi have fallen down the pecking order under Lampard. They haven’t been able to contribute much and help Abraham, who has led the line on his own. Therefore, Chelsea must buy an experienced striker.
To that end, Napoli’s Dries Mertens fits the bill. Mertens, 32, came through Genk’s youth ranks in his homeland joined PSV Eindhoven in 2011. In 88 appearances for the Dutch side, he scored 45 goals and provided 43 assists. Two summers later, he was picked by Napoli.
He has scored 118 goals for the Naples-based club in over 300 appearances and established himself as one of the best strikers in the Serie A. In the process, he has won the Italian Cup and the Italian Super Cup with Napoli.
The 32-year-old has featured 90 times at the international level with Belgium. With an experience of playing in over 500 club-level games, Mertens would be useful for the Blues. He has a proven track record and would be a great attacking partner for Tammy.
Verdict
The Belgian is capable of doing a lot more than just scoring goals. With the report suggesting that Napoli haven’t offered Mertens a new deal, Lampard must take advantage and make him a priority signing within the next few hours.
