Why Chelsea signing Dries Mertens would be an outright steal
According to The Metro, Chelsea have entered negotiations to sign Napoli star Dries Mertens in a quest to reinforce their attack.
Mertens, 32, is in the final few months of his contract at Napoli and looks set to leave the club in the summer, especially following the recent altercations with the club. He has been a fan favourite at Naples after an incredible 7 years in Italy.
Meanwhile, Chelsea will face stern competition from Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich as the Germans giants are also interested in the Belgian. And it is believed that Napoli’s hierarchy is willing to let him leave for as little as €10m, according to Calciomercato.
On the other hand, the Blues manager Frank Lampard hopes to sign the veteran attacker to ease the pressure on young striker Tammy Abraham (h/t The Metro).
Chelsea have managed to score 39 goals in 22 league games, which is the lowest among the top four clubs in the Premier League. And bringing in an experienced campaigner would get them the much-needed extra goals.
That being said, the Blues’ interest in the experienced campaigner Mertens doesn’t come as a surprise. The diminutive striker has been in fine form for Napoli this season, having scored 9 goals in 22 appearances across all competitions.
Mertens has been a key figure for the Italian outfit ever since he switched from PSV Eindhoven in the summer of 2013. He has gone on to become the club’s second-highest goalscorer with 118 goals in 304 appearances.
He has established himself as one the most fearful strikers across Europe and his experience speaks volumes of his ability to destroy any defence line. He has featured 90 times for Belgium at the international level.
Meanwhile, Chelsea’s attack has performed consistently, with the club clearly lacking clinical finishers, except for young Tammy Abraham, who has led the attack in a positive way so far.
The England international, who has scored 12 league goals so far, is the only bright spot in the otherwise dull Chelsea attacking line up. Olivier Giroud has been frozen at Stamford Bridge and hasn’t got enough chances this season whereas, Michy Batshuayi has not been convincing enough to earn a spot in the starting XI.
With Lampard’s young guns putting in the hard work for the majority of the season, one must not forget that they lack experience. And if they don’t reinforce their squad this winter, it could prove to be fatal by the end of this campaign.
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Verdict
Mertens has been a prolific goalscorer for Napoli over the years and has contributed with 15 or more goals in each of his last three campaigns.
A proven player with a never-doubting track record, Mertens would spring life into Chelsea’s attack without any hindrance and he would also be a tough competitor within the squad. Hence, Chelsea signing him for a cut-price would be an outright steal.
