Chelsea Transfer News Roundup: Blues advised to start Timo Werner against Real Madrid; Mason Mount compared with Frank Lampard, and more - 12 April 2022
Chelsea's season could be on the line when they face Real Madrid in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday. Thomas Tuchel’s holders need to overcome a two-goal deficit at the Santiago Bernabeu to progress to the last four.
Meanwhile, Chris Sutton has advised the Blues to start Timo Werner against Los Blancos. Elsewhere, Garth Crooks has compared Mason Mount with Frank Lampard.
A huge #UCL clash!
Come on Chelsea! 👊 https://t.co/NVCR6KecZX
On that note, here's a look at the key Chelsea transfer stories as on 12th April 2022:
Chris Sutton advises Chelsea to start Timo Werner against Real Madrid
Former Blues player Chris Sutton wants Timo Werner to start against Real Madrid. The holders will be without Romelu Lukaku as they attempt to climb a mountain against the Spanish giants. However, Sutton believes Werner’s work rate could help Tuchel's team in a game where he has nothing to lose.
In his column for The Daily Mail, the Englishman said that Werner and Kai Havertz represent the best strike option for the London side.
“I hope Timo Werner got to take the goal-frame home with him from Southampton after securing the woodwork hat-trick — striking the left post, right post and crossbar. Despite his desperately rotten luck, Werner still helped himself to two goals. Thomas Tuchel has sounded so negative about Chelsea’s chances of producing a Champions League comeback against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, describing it as an ‘almost impossible’ task,” wrote Sutton.
He continued:
“If that defeatist attitude is genuine, and he does indeed think they’ve got nothing to lose, isn’t it worth throwing Werner into the mix? Why not? Chelsea need goals, and though Werner hasn’t set the world alight since signing, he’s guaranteed to work his socks off. Romelu Lukaku hasn’t travelled to Madrid, so Werner and Kai Havertz playing off one another could represent their best bet of striking early in this European encounter."
For me Timo Werner needs to start tonight, not sure what Timo we will get but if it’s the one that played against Southampton it will give us a chance. https://t.co/BTwNZhT57l
However, Sutton also added that Real Madrid are unlikely to make it easy for the Blues, saying:
“Of course Real won’t be as naive as Southampton were at St Mary’s Stadium. Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side played with a high line, and Tuchel’s Chelsea gobbled that up. Carlo Ancelotti won’t be so generous. Real are a streetwise group. They’re wily and won’t be giving Chelsea any freebies."
The Blues indeed have a mountain to climb, as not many teams have recovered a two-goal deficit in the Champions League knockouts away from home to advance.
Mason Mount compared with Frank Lampard by Garth Crooks
BBC pundit Garth Crooks has compared Mason Mount with Frank Lampard. Mount has been on a good run of form for the Blues recently and is highly regarded at Stamford Bridge.
In his Team of the Week column for The BBC, Crooks added that Mount is unlikely to threaten Lampard’s record, though, saying:
“The flick over the shoulder by Mason Mount for Marco Alonso to score was matched only by the two superbly taken goals he scored himself. What a performance this was by Chelsea after two appalling defeats against Brentford and Real Madrid. For Southampton to receive the backlash from these two embarrassing performances by Chelsea was unfortunate,” wrote Crooks.
He added:
“Mount is the nearest thing I've seen to Frank Lampard in a Chelsea shirt since the club-record goalscorer hung up his boots and went into management. I don't think Mount will ever threaten Lampard's record, but he might have a go."
Mount has scored and assisted in the same Premier League game five times this season, the joint-most in the division along with Liverpool's Mohamed Salah.
The Englishman has scored 27 times for the Blues, including ten this season (all in the Premier League). However, he has a long way to go to catch up with Lampard, who netted 211 times for the club.
Chelsea monitoring Leroy Sane
The Blues are keeping a close eye on Leroy Sane’s situation, according to Caught Offside via Todo Fichajes.
The German international has reportedly fallen out with Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann after reacting angrily to a substitution. The 26-year-old is likely to leave the Allianz Arena at the end of the season despite being contracted till 2025, and the Blues are planning to lap him up. He has scored 24 times across competitions for Bayern.
Sane enjoyed a superb spell with Manchester City before joining the Bavarians. Tuchel is planning to upgrade his attack this summer. The 26-year-old, valued at €70 million by Transfermarkt, would be a fabulous addition to the Blues' squad.