Pat Nevin is urging Chelsea to offload the underperforming £88 million player to fund the transfer of Victor Osimhen. Nevin suggests that Chelsea should consider recruiting Napoli’s Osimhen to address their striker shortage and proposes the potential sale of Mykhailo Mudryk to raise the required funds.
Amid Chelsea’s recent 2-1 defeat to Manchester United, which plunged Mauricio Pochettino’s team to the tenth spot, 11 points adrift of the top four, concerns arise about Nicolas Jackson’s inability to consistently contribute goals despite a substantial summer investment. Jackson, the Colombian forward, has only managed six league goals this season, three of which were scored against a nine-man Tottenham team in a single match.
Observing Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling as the next top scorers for Chelsea, each with five goals, Nevin emphasizes the need for the team to delve into the market once again during the upcoming summer transfer window.
Expressing the club’s history of acquiring high-profile strikers that have not always succeeded, Nevin indicates the high expense associated with signing top-tier strikers and hints at Osimhen being a potential target for Chelsea.
Osimhen, who bagged six goals in ten Serie A matches this season after leading Napoli to their first Serie A title in three decades last campaign, appears to be a promising option for Chelsea. Nevin highlights the consideration of selling Mudryk to finance Osimhen’s transfer due to the Nigerian’s purported high valuation and the Ukrainian’s lackluster performances since joining in January.
Drawing parallels with previous profitable player sales like Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic, Nevin asserts that Chelsea’s ownership may prioritize business decisions over fan sentiment. While not explicitly advocating Mudryk’s departure, he suggests that Chelsea might need to sell someone to acquire a striker of Osimhen’s caliber, akin to strategic moves made in the past, including the sale of Mount, which, though disliked, made financial sense for the club.
