Chelsea plotting January transfer to sign £80 million-rated Premier League forward: Reports
Chelsea are reportedly mulling a move for Bretford's suspended forward Ivan Toney in the January transfer window.
After splurging nearly £450 million in the summer, Mauricio Pochettino's men have struggled for goals. The new-look Blues have won just once in four Premier League games, scoring five times.
The Blues brought in 11 new players in the recently concluded transfer window, including forwards Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku and Deivid Washington. However, none of them have Premier League experience, while Nkunku is expected to be till Novemeber due to injury.
Jackson produced an astonishing miss from four yards out, with the goal gaping, in the 1-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest at the weekend. Pochettino is likely to persist with Jackson, with the 18-year-old Washington unlikely to be thrown into the deep end anytime soon. Armando Broja is yet to regain full fitness as he recovers from an ACL injury.
The absence of a proven goalscorer is being acutely felt, which is where Toney could come in. He has proven Premier League experience, having scored 32 times in 60 games across three seasons. However, the 28-year-old is currently suspended due to 232 breaches of the FA's betting rules. He's now into the fifth month of an eight-month suspension from competitive football.
According to the Evening Standard (via the Chelsea chronicle), Chelsea are contemplating signing the £80 million-rated player in January. Toney is set to return to training at Brentford later this month but is still four months away from a competitive return.
"We were not clinical in both areas" - Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino rues Nottingham Forest defeat
Chelsea kicked off the Mauricio Pochettino era with a 1-1 home draw with Liverpool. However, the Blues have lost twice in their next three games - either side of a 3-0 home win over newly promoted Luton Town.
In the 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at the weekend, Jackson was culpable of a glaring miss. The Blues were also disappointing at the other end, with Antony Elanga pouncing on a defensive lapse to score the game's only goal.
In his post-match press conference, Pochettino said that luck was not with his side but they were also disappointing at both ends. Urging time for his young but expensively assembled side to find their groove, the Argentine said (as per Football London):
"That is a process that you need to think a little bit about to give time. I think today we create chances. We dominated the game, but we were not clinical enough in the last third. "
He added:
"We should score, if you want to win, and we made a mistake and conceded. Not frustrated but disappointed because in this process you need luck. I don't want to take credit from Nottingham Forest. We were not clinical in both areas."
Following the international break, the Blues return to action with a trip to Bournemouth on September 17 in the league.