The first of two transfer windows this summer is now open, with Chelsea set to be very active before the initial 10th June deadline.
According to a report by David Ornstein of The Athletic, Liam Delap is on the cusp of joining Chelsea, noting that personal terms have been agreed and that a medical will take place on Monday, with the Blues having agreed to pay his £30m release clause.
The 22-year-old will therefore be eligible to make his debut in just a couple of weeks time, given that Chelsea commence their FIFA Club World Cup campaign against Los Angeles FC in Atlanta on 16 June.
However, could the Blues also be showcasing another new striker by the time that clash at Mercedes-Benz Stadium rolls around?
Chelsea's search for another striker
According to widespread reports, including by the Daily Post in Nigeria, Victor Osimhen’s entourage are ‘working’ on a deal to get the striker to Chelsea this summer.
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They relay quotes from Peter Okoye, one of Osimhen’s close associates, who said that last summer, both he and former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel “made every effort to secure the signing of Victor Osimhen for Chelsea”.
Well, a year on, it’s revealed that they “remain steadfast” in their pursuit and “will continue efforts this summer.”
Now that the season is over, the 26-year-old is once again a Napoli player, having scored 76 goals in 133 appearances for I Partenopei, the Capocannoniere (top-scorer) in Serie A in the 2022/23 season, firing the club to their first Scudetto for 33 years.
Last summer, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis placed a €130m (around £110m) price tag on Osimhen, hoping to create some sort of bidding war, but after no concrete offers were made by the time the vast majority of European windows had shut, the Nigerian striker spent last season on loan at Turkish Süper Lig side Galatasaray.
Now, reports believe he would be ‘available for £60m’, so could he soon be swapping the Bosphorus for the King’s Road?
How Victor Osimhen would improve Chelsea
It is pretty difficult to dispute the fact that Osimhen is one of the best centre-forwards on the planet.
During his one season with Galatasaray, he scored 37 goals in just 41 appearances, thereby averaging a goal every 87 minutes.
26 of these came in the Süper Lig which, according to Global Football Rankings, is the 18th strongest league in the world, firing the İstanbul giants to a record-extending 25th title, while he also netted six times in seven Europa League appearances, including bagging a brace during a victory over Tottenham in November.
Youssef Maaoui of Talent Football Scout praises Osimhen’s athleticism, describing him as a ‘fast and imposing striker’ who possesses ‘elite goal-scoring instincts’, making him ‘one of the most exciting and unique talents’ in world football.
Meantime, Jack Chippendale of Total Football Analysis outlines how the Nigerian was the ‘focal point’ of Galatasaray’s attack, allowing him to take a high volume of shots, while journalist Paolo Esposito simply labelled him “superhuman”.
So, how does Osimhen compare to potential future teammate Delap?
Appearances
41
40
Minutes
3,236
2,670
Goals
37
12
Assists
8
2
Shots per 90
5.62
2.28
Shots on target %
42.7%
43.3%
Big chances missed
43
10
Big chances created
12
3
Shot-creating actions
25
62
% of aerials duels won
63.6%
42.6%
Touches per 90
29
28
% of touches in opposition box
37%
13%
Average Sofascore rating
7.72
6.85
First things first when comparing these two players, it has to be noted that Osimhen was playing for the dominant team at a lower level this season, while Delap was playing for a relegated Premier League outfit, skewing the data of both somewhat.
Nevertheless, even with that caveat, we can still learn plenty from the data.
What the numbers underline is that neither get overly involved in build-up play, while Osimhen’s statistic of 5.62 shots per 90 is astronomically high, taking an average of 7.32 shots per 90 in this season’s Europa League, almost three more than anybody else.
Also, the fact that the Nigerian records over a third of his touches in the opposition penalty area is further evidence that he is a proper penalty box poacher, even if his tally of 43 big chances missed proves there is room for improvement.
Nevertheless, as outlined by Liam Twomey of the Athletic, a world-class number nine is what Chelsea need to reach the next level, and Osimhen, more than the soon-to-arrive Delap, has all the attributes to be just that. He’s a true elite striker.
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