36 G/A won’t persuade Chelsea to break their transfer pattern to sign Champions League gunman | OneFootball

Chelsea were looking for a striker last summer to help back up and compete with Nicolas Jackson, and while their main focus appeared to be on Victor Osimhen, they did consider other options, including Serhou Guirassy then at Stuttgart.

In the end, Chelsea signed nobody, and Guirassy moved to Borussia Dortmund. He’s had a great impact there, and is already being linked with move away – with Chelsea inevitably mentioned in the mix again as a potential suitor.

He’s banged in an impressive 28 goals and 8 assists this season, including a hattrick in their Champions League quarter final second leg against Barcelona earlier this week. He’s reinforced his reputation as a fearsome goal-getter.

CaughtOffside note that several Premier League teams are interested, with Chelsea apparently “best placed” to sign him. The likes of Juventus and AC Milan are also keen, and it’s easy to see a player who is clearly a late bloomer thriving well into his 30s in Serie A.

Striker simply no longer a feasible target for youth-focused Chelsea

Serhou Guirassy of Borussia Dortmund celebrates a goal. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

Of course, now he’s 29, it seems impossible we go for him. There’s a £60m release clause in his contract, but even if we were to snag him for half that, it’s just so far from our model of signing players that we can’t see it happening.

As much as we’d love to slot in a proven goal getting number 9 to this squad – last summer was the time to do it. Now we would really just be chasing our losses, paying more in transfer fee and wages to a player who’s a year older.

We need to find the next Guirassy, not the last one. That will require clever, patient scouting, as well as solid coaching and development of the player. How much of that are we currently capable of?