Antonio Conte would have a lot of work on his hands with very little time to do it. The current Italy manager would be taking over Chelsea after the end of the Euro tournament and one of the things that he would have to deal with is the scoring issues that Chelsea had this season.
Diego Costa didn’t really do much in the first half of the season, but he would be looking to show that he is still the man for Chelsea after his second half performances, especially under Guus Hiddink. The Spanish striker did score 14 goals for Chelsea at the end, but that was not enough for the forward as he failed to make it to the Euros.
He might still have a future at the club and we look at three strikers who could actually play second fiddle to Costa. Chelsea haven’t had the best of luck when it comes to strikers as we have seen with Loic Remy and Falcao and maybe one of these three could turn the tide in their favour next season.
Christian Benteke
The Liverpool star has had a season to forget after his big money move from Aston Villa. While his former club went down, his current club doesn’t really seem to trust him enough and rarely even play him off the bench.
The Belgian striker only managed 10 goals for the Reds in close to 42 appearances, but many of them came as substitutes. Benteke would be a great option for Chelsea as they look to have a decent plan B in case Costa does not fire.
Benteke wouldn’t mind coming off the bench either as long as he is the second striker and who knows if he does start scoring a goal or two he could become the number striker at Chelsea as well.
Ayoze Perez
The Newcastle forward could be bought for a snip as the Magpies have been relegated from the Premier League. The Spanish star was one of the few players who actually impressed during the season and he would want to continue his development in the top league in the country.
Chelsea needs someone who is fast and can run the channels well, they don’t really seem to have that at the moment in the club and the 22-year-old can also find the back of the net. He did have six goals all season for Newcastle but he could get a few more if he is given a shot by Chelsea.
Jermain Defoe
Before you get the pitchforks out, Defoe is the man who gets you goals, that is what Chelsea needs. The 33-year-old is not be the youngest player out there, but his goals did save Sunderland for the drop and the Englishman could be the answer for Chelsea.
Defoe might be easy to snap up from Sunderland as well and wouldn’t mind spending some time on the bench either. He knows he won’t be playing every game and that would suit him fine at Chelsea. Many might not be happy with this suggestion, but Defoe knows the league and can play well, he could be perfect for the Blues off the bench.