Chelsea have struggled to find the target this campaign and have now run checks on a prolific scorer from the continent over the weekend, according to recent reports.
What’s the latest news involving Chelsea?
The Blues will look to rectify their disappointing defeat to Aston Villa last weekend on Wednesday, as Brighton & Hove Albion stand in the way of Chelsea progressing to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
Cited by Football London, striker Armando Broja has finally returned from a long-term injury that has halted his development at Stamford Bridge and he played a small part in the Blues’ loss against Unai Emery’s men. Mauricio Pochettino has commented on the return of the Albania international, stating in a recent interview: “I think was now was good to see Broja after nine or 10 months. I think to have the possibility to have different options in the team. He needs to build his confidence also. It’s about to learn, about the process.”
Broja may be needed for the trip to Fulham this weekend as well as their cup tie against Brighton on Wednesday evening, with Nicolas Jackson suspended for the Blues’ next league clash due to picking up five bookings in his opening six Premier League appearances, as per The Sun. Senegal international Jackson has struggled for consistency since joining Chelsea from Villarreal in the summer and has notched just one goal from seven appearances in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.
Chelsea have failed to find the back of the net in their last three encounters and are further hampered by the fact that attacker Christopher Nkunku is scheduled to be out until around the Christmas period, according to The Evening Standard. There is a possibility that he may not be re-introduced into the fold until January due to the typically hectic fixture schedule for clubs in and around the tail end of the year.
Who have Chelsea scouted?
90min have reported that Chelsea sent scouts to watch Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez in the Dutch champions’ bad-tempered affair against Ajax at the Johan Cruyff Arena. The game was suspended due to unrest from home supporters as the visitors were holding a 3-0 lead, but the various club officials at the match were apparently impressed by what they saw.
Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur chiefs also attended De Klassieker to run the rule over the Mexico international alongside delegations from Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Inter, Juventus, AC Milan and Napoli.
Gimenez has been in potent form for Feyenoord this campaign, scoring six goals in his opening five outings in the Eredivisie and providing one assist, as per Transfermarkt, without counting the goals he had chalked off in the controversial abandoned match.
As per ESPN via GOAL, Gimenez was labelled “truly fantastic” by Feyenoord legend Mario Been and has demonstrated why he is so highly regarded in the Netherlands, taking an average of 4.2 shots per fixture in the Dutch top flight, as per WhoScored.
Chelsea have struggled in front of goal over the last year and a half and bringing in someone who knows where the target is has to be of paramount importance to Pochettino in January.
