Dembele vs Sterling vs Nkunku: Ranking Chelsea's forward targets

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 31 May 2022 23:08 BST
• 6 min read

With confirmation of their new ownership, Chelsea are preparing for a busy summer of transfer activity.

Thomas Tuchel has reportedly even cancelled a holiday in order to begin preparations for the new season, with player identification and transfer requests playing a role in that.

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With Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen leaving, and Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso potentially joining them in exiting the club, Chelsea have a defensive crisis that needs to be fixed. Jules Kounde is the man most heavily linked, with Leipzig's Josko Gvardiol is also a name being touted as a potential. Youngster Levi Colwill will also return for Tuchel to assess after his loan spell at Huddersfield.

Declan Rice and Ibrahim Sangare have both been linked as the midfield seeks reinforcements, while the forward line is yet again a topic of discussion. Despite supposedly fixing this area of the pitch over the past few years, nothing could be further from the truth.

Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Romelu Lukaku have all been signed since 2019, but none have quite hit the heights expected of them.

Pulisic showed huge potential before his injury in the 2019/20 FA Cup final, Havertz looks to be on an upwards trajectory, while Ziyech, Werner and Lukaku have shown glimpses of promise, but have failed to make a lasting impact.

As a result, the forward line is being looked at once more this summer.

Ziyech, Werner, Pulisic and Lukaku have all been linked with a move away, and while it's almost impossible to imagine all four leaving, there's a high possibility one or two move on to pastures new.

The Guardian have reported that Inter will hold talks with Lukaku's representatives over a move back to San Siro just one year after the Belgian left, which suggests he could say goodbye to Stamford Bridge for a second time.

In the same report, several players are named as targets for the Blues. The Guardian believe Chelsea are interested in: Raheem Sterling, Christopher Nkunku, Jonathan David, Darwin Nunez and Ousmane Dembele. Tuchel is also keen on signing Robert Lewandowski, although there is an acceptance he will join Barcelona.

Of the five forwards Chelsea have registered an interest in, who would suit the Blues the best? FootballTransfers ranks them below.

5. Jonathan David (Lille)

Chelsea faced Lille in the Champions League earlier this season, and while Jonathan David wasn't the standout player, he clearly impressed the Blues hierarchy.

The Canadian international endured a slightly slow start to life at Lille after arriving from Belgium, but picked up form to help deliver the Ligue 1 title to the club in the 2020/21 season and he became even more important this season.

In a disappointing defence of their league triumph, David was one of Lille's better performers, netting 19 goals in all competitions, but he managed just three league strikes in 2022 in a difficult end to the season.

While his head may have turned in the hope of a summer move, his form shouldn't encourage Chelsea to sign a player who wouldn't improve their squad.

4. Darwin Nunez (Benfica)

Darwin Nunez could easily feature higher on this list after a fabulous season for Benfica, but there are a few drawbacks. With 34 goals in all competitions, Nunez has unsurprisingly made his way onto many scout reports over the past few months.

His aerial ability and raw finishing quality has been highlighted throughout the campaign, and Manchester United and Barcelona are among the clubs Chelsea would need to rival if they opt to seriously pursue him.

However, there are drawbacks to his game. Nunez averaged just 18.7 passes per 90 during the 2021/22 Portuguese league season, which shows he is rarely involved in build-up. For a ball-dominant side like Chelsea, with little space in behind Premier League defences, that is a problem.

Kai Havertz, for example, averaged 32.4 passes per 90 during the most recent Premier League season playing as the striker in Tuchel's system. Nunez would need to change his game to suit Chelsea as the saga around Lukaku has proven Tuchel won't change for any player.

3. Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)

One player who is suited to playing against deep defences and finding a way through is Raheem Sterling. The Manchester City man has experienced the struggles of low block Premier League defences for years, yet he remains a player capable of negotiating those troubles.

His cameo off the bench in Man City's final day of the season victory against Aston Villa was one such example of his brilliance in situations Chelsea usually struggled in.

Although he's no longer a guaranteed starter at Man City, Sterling remains a world-class player and would be useful asset for Chelsea given his skillset.

He possesses the pace Pulisic had pre-injury, while combining that with an eye for goal and an ability to beat a man; Sterling would be a great addition.

2. Christopher Nkunku (RB Leizpig)

The last player Chelsea signed from RB Leipzig didn't work out, but that doesn't necessarily mean Christopher Nkunku would follow a similar pattern.

One concern is the fact Nkunku has scored a lot of goals in similar circumstances to the ones Werner bagged in his final year at Leipizg - counter-attack goals.

The Frenchman has made a habit of playing on the last man and exploiting the vast amount of space in behind Bundesliga defences.

However, his past as a creator should give Chelsea more confidence in a move. Nkunku has excelled as a No.10, a striker and a wide forward at Leizpig, and not only will that versatility help, but it will mean he wouldn't rely on space in behind to thrive, like Werner.

With 55 goals and assists in 51 games, Nkunku was one of the world's very best over the course of the 2021/22 season and Chelsea should hold confidence in the fact his technical ability matches those eye-catching numbers.

1. Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)

The pick of the bunch would be Ousmane Dembele. The Frenchman has endured an injury-hit time at Barcelona, but he's now ready to contribute at the highest level again.

With 13 La Liga assists in less than 1,500 minutes, Dembele is a supreme creator. Ranking in the top one percent of wingers in Europe's top five leagues for dribbles completed and progressive carries per 90, Dembele would add dynamism that has been lacking at Chelsea since Pulisic's injury.

The France international is prone to a speculative shot now and then, but his pure quality when it comes to creating chances outweighs that. He isn't somebody who is likely to hit double digits for goals in a season for Chelsea, but his ability to create chances could finally bring out the best in Lukaku and Havertz.

Dembele would be the perfect player to unlock defences and breath new life into Chelsea's attack. A bonus is the fact he's worked under Tuchel before.