With just under half of the Premier League season complete, it would be fair to describe Chelsea's campaign thus far as shambolic, as just like last year, the club that so prided themselves on ruthless efficiency and finding a way to win now find themselves in the bottom half of the table and closer to the relegation zone than top four.
Mauricio Pochettino was supposed to come in and steer the club in the right direction, but instead, the west Londoners look more adrift than ever.
However, the one positive is that the team are currently producing the fourth-highest expected goals number in the entire league, meaning that adding a clinical striker to the mix could see the side fly up the table.
Poch can supercharge Palmer and Chelsea with £100m "monster" signing
The experienced striker could fire Chelsea back into Europe.
ByJack Salveson HolmesDec 13, 2023
Napoli star Victor Osimhen has recently been touted for a move to Stamford Bridge. However, the latest player linked could be a wiser option given the £120m the Italians want for their forward, in the form of Sporting CP's Viktor Gyökeres.
Chelsea transfer news – Viktor Gyökeres
According to Simon Phillips (via The Chelsea Chronicle), Chelsea are determined to sign a new striker in the January transfer window, but with the price for Osimhen potentially reaching up to £120m, Swedish striker Gyökeres has moved up their wishlist.
The Sporting star joined the club from Championship side Coventry City in July for a fee in the region of £20m.
His recent arrival means that any move in the winter will come at a premium, with Portuguese outlet Record reporting (via Sport Witness) that it would take an offer of about €100m – £86m – to secure the marksman's signature.
While that is still a lot of money, it represents a discount of £34m on Osimhen's price and, considering that the former Coventry player has racked up 16 goal involvements in 16 games for the Portuguese giants, it would probably be worth it.
How Viktor Gyökeres compares to Victor Osimhen
Now, either of these players would be a dramatic improvement on the attacking options Chelsea currently have at their disposal, and while the Nigerian "goal machine", as described by journalist Mimi Fawaz, has a better track record in Europe's top five leagues, Gyökeres looks like he could be just as good.
He was lethal in the Championship last season, scoring 21 goals and providing 12 assists in just 47 starts and despite changing leagues in the summer, he has continued right where he left off this season.
Dubbed as "unplayable" by his former teammate Maxime Biamou, the one-time Brighton & Hove Albion man stacks up well against the Nigerian when their respective underlying numbers are compared.
The Serie A winner just comes out on top in arguably the most crucial statistic, non-penalty expected goals and assists, but in essentially every other metric, the Swede has the advantage, and by quite some way in some instances.
Stats (per 90)
Gyökeres
Osimhen
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.45
0.54
Progressive Passes
2.02
1.09
Progressive Carries
3.53
1.74
Shots on Target
1.17
1.09
Passing Accuracy
74.0%
64.7%
Shot-Creating Actions
3.77
1.85
Goal-Creating Actions
0.50
0.33
Successful Take-Ons
2.44
0.43
All Stats via FBref for the 2023/24 Domestic Season
Progressive passes, carries, passing accuracy, shot-creating actions, and successful take-ons are all areas in which Gyökeres is well clear of the former Lille man, potentially hinting towards a more complete player who could be as helpful in creating chances as he is in finishing them.
Ultimately, there isn't an enormous difference between the two superstars, but the more impressive creative stats and the cheaper price tag make Gyökeres the more appealing target.