Chelsea 'lead' Arsenal in Ivan Toney race with double deal possible | OneFootball

Highlights

Nicolas Jackson fired another blank in midweek and the evidence is all stacked up to prove Chelsea need to spend more money in the transfer market.

In the past week most speculation has been centred around them signing a new centre-back, but we should be in no doubt the main priority is to sort out their goalscoring problem.

Raheem Sterling is their top Premier League scorer with three goals to his name. Summer signing Jackson has scored two, along with Mykhailo Mudryk and Cole Palmer. In total Chelsea have hit 13 goals as per BBC Sport and have failed to find the net in four of their 10 top-flight matches. On the back of a year that saw them spend over a billion pounds, you might expect slightly better.

Yes, Chelsea do also have an eye on their back line and do want to find the right candidate to add to their defensive structure.

But sources around the club are adamant that desire has not impacted on their need for more goal threat. Chelsea need an experienced, proven top-level striker if they are going to become competitive as quickly as they want to, and we are fast approaching a time when they fully define who the best candidate for that role will be.

Pochettino has had Chelsea doubts since the summer

Mauricio Pochettino had reservations about their goal profligacy dating back to pre-season. After Jackson was brought into the club, sources indicated to me that Pochettino had a gut feeling the side would still need another premium No.9.

Those instincts have proved to be true and the Billionaire Boys are now going to be shelling out more cash in the new year in an attempt to find goal power.

If we go back to that summer window there are a few options that were considered and three of them play in Italy: Juventus star Dusan Vlahovic, Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez.

But on top of that we now also have Brentford’s Ivan Toney and there is a small chance they consider Tammy Abraham of Roma.

Chelsea managed to see off Blackburn Rovers in the Carabao Cup in midweek as Sterling and Benoit Badiashile found the net. But Jackson looked like a man short of confidence and form and that does not bode well ahead of their next outing.

Chelsea head to Tottenham on Monday night for a game that always promises to be fiery - and Spurs won the fixture last season 2-0. That Tottenham team was a shadow of the one they have right now, a side that sits on top of the table and is playing with a verve and exuberance that the Blues must somehow combat.

Spurs have scored 22 goals this season. They have not failed to score in any of their matches. It really does feel like a game that underlines exactly why Chelsea need to spend big again themselves… unless Jackson can finally turn up.

Pochettino backed him this week. He talked about his suffering and an injury that has needed special care. There have been moments in his general play that are sharp and he may well be better once Christopher Nkunku is back in this set-up.

Yet Chelsea know that even if he does find his shooting boots, they will be missing him in January anyway. He will be playing at the African Cup of Nations for Senegal.

That is a tournament that Napoli target Osimhen will also be playing in for Nigeria. Getting Osimhen out of Napoli halfway through the season is going to be tricky enough already. His club are determined to keep him and if they lose that fight it will take a fee heading towards £140million to get him.

Even Chelsea can’t throw around that sort of cash - and negotiating at a time when the player is away on international duty will make things even more tough.

It perhaps explains further why Chelsea retain an interest in Brentford’s Toney. He is unavailable himself until mid-January, yet he will be available to play again from January 16 and his price-tag is around half that of Osimhen.

Arsenal also like Toney and bidding will begin at around £65million, though sources have told us that the Bees will hold out for close to £80million if they can not convince him to stay.

Chelsea are currently expected to lead Arsenal in that race but whoever it is that ends up being the next big signing in attack, they really do need to hit the ground running.

Andrey Santos encounters major U-turn

Blues’ loanee Andrey Santos finally has a ray of light at Nottingham Forest after making his Premier League bow.

Big things were expected of him in the summer and Chelsea even considered a role for him. In the end he was loaned out, but he had to wait until last weekend to make his first top-flight outing.

Santos was given seven minutes off the bench in a 3-0 defeat to Liverpool. It’s hardly a massive sign of belief in the Brazilian but at least it is a sign to Chelsea that they intend to use him.

Reece James got back to full match action in midweek and will now focus on his responsibilities in turning around the club’s season.

James suffered a hamstring injury after the first game of the campaign but made his first start since then in the 2-0 victory over Blackburn.

James was made captain in the summer and is said to be excited by his new leadership role.