Romano: Chelsea will make ONE more signing
Robin Bairner
- 21 Aug 2023 06:38 BST
- 3 min read
Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Chelsea plan to sign one more attacking player before the close of the summer transfer window.
Although Mauricio Pochettino’s side have spent a record €323 million on players during the window, they remain short of options in attack following an injury to Christopher Nkunku that is expected to keep him sidelined until around Christmas.
This has resulted in Chelsea netting only a couple of goals in their first two Premier League matches of the season, a 1-1 draw against Liverpool before a 3-1 loss against West Ham on Sunday, in which Enzo Fernandez saw a penalty saved by Alphonse Areola.
Transfer news expert Romano reported within hours of the full-time whistle following the West Ham loss that the Blues want another offensive player who is capable of being creative, with Carney Chukwuemeka limping out of that encounter after scoring a fine goal.
“For us, we rushed situations. We need to be patient and open better the pitch. But when we see the data, in the last third, we had 50 entrances which is amazing. But we weren't clinical enough to score, for different reasons,” Pochettino confirmed after the match.
The solution, according to Romano, will be to add another player to the club.
MORE: Aubameyang issues social media DIG at Chelsea after summer transfer
Chelsea have seen a move for Crystal Palace star Michael Olise breakdown last week, with the France U21 winger signing a new contract with the Selhurst Park outfit, while Juventus are still eager to swap Dusan Vlahovic for Romelu Lukaku. The Blues, though, want a different type of player.
Romano named Lyon’s Bradley Barcola and Rennes’ Jeremy Doku as potential targets but noted that the former prefers PSG while the latter is set to move to Manchester City.
Kudus to Chelsea latest
It has been three weeks since Chelsea spoke to Mohammed Kudus about a transfer from Ajax, Romano added, suggesting that a deal is not imminent.
He did, however, note that West Ham’s move for the player is in “total standby” and “close to being off” as they struggle to agree a fee with Ajax, leaving the door open for an approach in the final days of the window.
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Read more about: Serie A, Eredivisie, Ligue 1, Premier League, Ajax, Chelsea, Juventus, Lyon, Stade Rennais, Dušan Vlahović, Jérémy Doku, Mohammed Kudus, Romelu Lukaku
