Mauricio Pochettino has landed the unenviable task of attempting to pinpoint Chelsea’s new striker and finding the right method to maximise their talents.
During this abysmal campaign, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Kai Havertz, and Joao Felix have all been deployed as the focal point – and although the latter displayed minor flashes of brilliance, watching this trio all separately play as a central striker was an unfulfilling and frustrating experience.
One name that has been floated around as the solution to this damaging problem is Lautaro Martinez, who has demonstrated is more than capable of filling this humongous void.
What’s the latest on Lautaro Martinez to Chelsea?
According to The Times, Chelsea will be rivalled by Real Madrid for the 25-year-old’s signature.
The reigning European champions are in the market for a frontman after Karim Benzema’s sudden departure to Saudi Arabia.
A previous report by the Football Insider has revealed that it will take a £70m offer to tempt the Nerazzurri to sanction his sale.
Who can Lautaro Martinez emulate at Chelsea?
The Argentine has arguably been unplayable this season – he has netted 28 times in all competitions and was the second-highest scorer in Serie A.
The 48-cap international was the protagonist of Inter’s recent trophy lift against Fiorentina, who they beat 2-1 in the Coppa Italia. Unsurprisingly, Martinez was on the scoresheet twice and has registered the highest average match rating (7.18) in the squad over the campaign, as per Sofascore.
The Milanese giants will be hoping he can replicate this spell-binding potency in the Champions League final this evening when they take on treble-chasing Manchester City in Istanbul.
If the Blues secured this audacious swoop, Martinez could repeat the tricks of the irrepressible Nicolas Anelka at Stamford Bridge. The Frenchman spent four years in the English capital, scoring 59 goals and registering 36 assists in 184 games, while also winning one Premier League and two FA Cups in that time.
In his first full season at Chelsea, the former Arsenal prodigy found the net 19 times, was crowned as the division's joint-top scorer, and stepped up when Drogba’s season was ravaged by injury as he only scored on five occasions.
This is similar to the current situation at the San Siro, as Martinez has netted more than fellow forwards Edin Dzeko and Romelu Lukaku, combined.
However, what Anelka and Martinez share is the ability to be the driving force of the attack, but is also able to combine and conjure up a formidable striking partnership.
For Anelka, this was shown in 2009/10, when he and Drogba recorded 61 goal involvements in the top flight as Chelsea secured the Premier League title.
Similarly, in the 2020/21 season, the World Cup winner and the aforementioned Lukaku notched the same number of goal contributions in their imperious Serie A triumph.
Described as “spectacular” by Lionel Messi, the £186k-per-week man’s versatility, his mastery of being the main source of goals or sharing the responsibility, and his experience in playing as a single or double striking force, make him an extremely attractive prospect for the west London outfit.
