Chelsea
12 goals in 17 matches : Chelsea must battle Tottenham for this youngster
It was vividly seen during their unexpected 1-0 defeat to Leicester City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday that Chelsea need to add a striker to their team in January if they must finish among top-four clubs.
The Blues didn’t look like a team who are chasing after next season’s Champions League qualifying spot.
They were outclassed at the middle of the pitch by resolute Leicester City midfielders. Their attacking threat wasn’t seen throughout the game. The highlight of it all was Willian’s funny and outrageous corner in the first half that was just too hard to explain.
The defenders weren’t as impressive as they’ve been in previous games.
Having seen how tactless his players displayed at the final third of the pitch, it is very much clear to Maurizio Sarri that the team won’t beat Arsenal, Liverpool, nor Manchester City in the race for a top-four finish except he gets new strikers.
Why Sarri must target this player
Considering the fact that clubs hardly release their player midway into the season, it would be very difficult for Sarri to get any world-class striker with a little price tag.
This is why Sarri should compete with Tottenham for Josh Maja’s signature in January.
The Sunderland striker, who will be 20 years of age in three days time, is in fine form for the League one side and he could be the solution to the Blues striking force.
Forget his age or the fact that he plays in League One, Maja is a great goal-poacher. His ability to take accurate long-range shots is missing in Sarri’s team and that will go a long way to help the Blues secure at a fourth-place finish.
He has scored 12 goals in just 17 matches and he has assisted four goals in the first period of the season.
His goalscoring prowess caught Mauricio Pochetino’s attention and the Argentine tactician is ready to capture him as a replacement for Heung-min Son who will be out for one month as a result of the upcoming Asian Cup tournament.
If a team like Tottenham — who possess deadly and in-form strikers like Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Erikson, and Eric Lamela — could be interested in the young striker, then, there’s no reason why Sarri shouldn’t give Maja a benefit of doubt.
Maja isn’t going to cost the Blues any mammoth price. According to the Mirror, the Black Cats are asking for just £1.5million from any interested suitors.
The price tag means nothing to Chelsea, hence, Sarri should make move for the youngster and see if he would add more threat to his setup or not.
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