Paul Merson believes that Chelsea should swoop for West Ham United forward Marko Arnautovic to provide a more immediate solution to their attacking problems.
The Blues have struggled in the final third at times this season, as they’ve managed just 38 goals in 21 Premier League outings.
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That gives them the lowest tally of the top six sides in the table, while they’ve scored just four goals in their last five games in all competitions.
It could be argued that stems from the fact that neither Alvaro Morata nor Olivier Giroud can offer a consistent source of goals, and so a new striker with a proven track-record is perhaps needed at Stamford Bridge to boost their chances of finishing in the top four this season.
Merson believes he knows the ideal solution, and has picked out Arnautovic to be a successful signing. Whether or not he can be prised away from the Hammers remains to be seen.
“He is a proven goalscorer and he gives you something different,” he wrote in his Daily Star column. “He can make things happen and do something special.
“His agent has been making noises about him leaving as well and Chelsea could probably get him for £40m because of his age. They need players now, not for three years time. They should go for Arnautovic.”
The 29-year-old has scored seven goals in 15 Premier League games so far this season, although it’s arguably a bit of a stretch from Merson to suggest that he’s a ‘proven goalscorer’ given he’s only reached double figures in scoring in three out of 14 seasons as a professional.
In turn, provided Chelsea have the financial strength to go out and sign a clinical striker, they would arguably be better off looking at other options.
Nevertheless, as per BBC Sport, they’ve just splashed out £58m on Christian Pulisic who will arrive in the summer, so it’s questionable as to how much they have left in the kitty for another attacking signing.
