The striker position at Chelsea is the priority this summer, and it seems that multiple reinforcements will occur.
Benjamin Sesko had been the main target initially, but after the Slovenian star signed a new deal at RB Leipzig, attention turned towards other options.
Marc Guiu is all but confirmed to be a Blue after Todd Boehly has decided to activate the 18-year-old’s release clause of £5m.
However, it looks as though Chelsea are on the hunt for a striker with experience playing in the senior game, with one particular target even outscoring Nicolas Jackson last season.
Chelsea are eyeing up another striker
As per reports from Sky Germany via Florian Plettenberg, Chelsea are keeping an eye on Maximilian Beier.
It’s mentioned that the young striker has ‘concrete interest’ from Chelsea as well as Aston Villa.
The two Premier League teams ‘have gathered information’ about the Germany international as they weigh up their options.
However, if the Blues do decide to move for the 21-year-old, they must activate his £25m release clause, but any deal will occur after the European Championships.
Why Beier could prove to be the best alternative to Sesko
Last season, Beier finally announced himself to the Bundesliga during his first major campaign in the German top flight.
Starting as a striker for Hoffenheim, he led the line with the confidence of achieving European football, which was accomplished.
The German started 29 matches in the league, where he proved that he was able to thrive against the very best, netting against Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, and Borussia Dortmund. He’s certainly a man who thrives in big games.
Overall, his goal tally stood at 16 in the Bundesliga alone, with none of those being from the spot, which just proves how much potential he has.
|
Sesko vs Jackson vs Beier |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90) |
Sesko |
Jackson |
Beier |
|
Goals |
0.83 |
0.45 |
0.60 |
|
xG |
0.45 |
0.60 |
0.42 |
|
Shots |
2.77 |
2.57 |
3.05 |
|
Goals/Shot |
0.30 |
0.18 |
0.20 |
|
Touches |
31.14 |
32.09 |
32.43 |
|
Pases completed |
12.68 |
16.56 |
14.28 |
|
Via FBref |
|||
Clearly, Beier’s 16-goal campaign is superior to Jackson’s output from his debut season in England, as the 23-year-old scored 14 goals.
The main difference between the number 14 and Chelsea’s centre forward is their composure and finishing ability, with Jackson underperforming his xG massively and Beier doing the complete opposite.
The 2002-born star is the definition of a clinical finisher, which is just one reason why FBref have classified him as a ‘similar player’ to Sesko.
Neither player is particularly developed in terms of their overall game, with improvements likely needed in order to take that next step, but there’s no denying that they’re a huge threat in the final third.
Their low involvement in non-attacking actions proves this, as they often go spells without being involved in the play, but that’s not to say that’s a negative, especially given the creative quality in the Chelsea attack.
Football scout Antonio Mango even labelled Beier as an “exceptional” talent, with his speed and dynamism making him difficult to deal with in any game state, just like Sesko.
Overall, if Chelsea are on the lookout for a player to thrive and develop alongside Jackson, then Beier would be the perfect option, but Enzo Maresca may then have the difficult decision of choosing who to start in his lone striker formation.
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Chelsea are set for a busy summer with plenty of signings expected.
