Tuchel gives an update on Chelsea squady ahead of Dinamo Zagreb game.
Speaking to TalkSport (h/t Express), former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has claimed that Thomas Tuchel needs to sign a recognised striker and get rid of Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech as they are “not good enough.”
Chelsea completed the signing of Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling on Wednesday, but Agbonlahor still believes Tuchel will need to add more firepower. These comments come amid Romelu Lukaku’s departure on loan to Inter Milan last month and Chelsea’s failure to yet bring in a recognised striker to take his place.
Agbonlahor believes that a new frontman should be a priority for Tuchel. He believes Chelsea’s lack of a top striker puts them behind the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. He also goes on to add that Pulisic and Ziyech are not good enough and the Blues will try to get rid of them.
“Sterling coming in is going to guarantee you goals and assists. But they need that striker, don’t they. Look at Spurs, Manchester City, Liverpool, they’ve all got top strikers now. Ziyech, Pulisic, for me not good enough and they’ll probably try and get rid of them”.
The former Villa man may have a point. Since Lukaku’s departure, Timo Werner is the only senior out-and-out striker on the Chelsea roster. Armando Broja and Michy Batshuayi have returned from their loan spells, but their futures remain uncertain. A top-quality striker is needed and Tuchel will be well aware of that.
Pulisic joined Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund in January 2019 but spent the remainder of that season on loan at Dortmund. The 23-year-old has since then been quite inconsistent in front of goals. Tuchel played him in multiple positions last season, but all had the same result. The United States international could only muster up eight goals and five assists in 38 appearances for the Blues in all competitions.
As for Ziyech, he has failed to replicate his Ajax Amsterdam since moving to Stamford Bridge. The Moroccan joined us in 2020 but has a turbulent time marred with injuries and inconsistencies. The 29-year-old made a total of 44 appearances in all competitions last season and managed to score eight and assist six in the process. Currently, the club is in talks with AC Milan to send him on loan to the San Siro.
Not only this, Agbonlahor has gone on to say that currently, Tottenham are better suited to challenge City and Liverpool than Chelsea. This may be a hard pill to swallow, but if the club fails to sign more players, he may be correct in this regard. The club cannot completely depend on Sterling to score goals for us every week in and out, and hopefully, Tuchel will be aware of that.
“So they definitely need some more firepower, definitely. Because at the moment I’d say Spurs are probably better suited now to challenge the top two than Chelsea for me.”
It remains to be seen what happens with the two players and whether Tuchel brings in another forward. This month could be crucial for the Blues as they will hope to have a squad ready before they begin their campaign for next season.
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