Chelsea prepare bid to sign 'amazing' England star

Chelsea should be looking to improve on last season as they aim to return to the Champions League while competing for major trophies.

Mauricio Pochettino was relieved of his duties at the end of the 2023/24 campaign after the Argentine manager failed to lead the team to the last four and did not lift a single piece of silverware.

Todd Boehly has brought in Italian coach Enzo Maresca, who won the Championship with Leicester City last season, to replace Tottenham Hotspur coach.

He is now tasked with getting the most out of a talented squad, with just over a month to go until the transfer window kicks off to make further additions to the squad.

A new striker is on the cards for the London giants after they struggled to finish as a team in the Premier League last season.

The Blues have scored just 76 goals from their xG figure of 80.18 in the top flight and 11 goals from their xG figure of 14.07 in the League Cup, which shows how wasteful they have been in front of goal.

Chelsea's interest in the Premier League marks

According to Football Insider, Chelsea are preparing a bid to sign England international Ollie Watkins from Premier League rivals Aston Villa this summer.

The report claims that the club are looking to add a 'marquee' number nine to strengthen their options at the end of the pitch before the end of the transfer window.

It is said that, because of that desire, they are ready to push the boat to secure a deal to sign the English star before the 2024/25 campaign.

Football Insider adds that Villa and Chelsea have already held lengthy talks throughout the summer over separate deals, with the Blues previously keen on Jhon Duran while the Villans are trying to sign Connor Gallagher.

The outlet now reveal that the London giants are ready to offer Gallagher to Unai Emery's side as part of a deal for Watkins, who was in the European Championship with the England midfielder this summer.

However, he did not say how much Chelsea would be willing to spend on the former Crystal Palace loanee, or if Villa would be open to entertaining the idea of ​​such a transfer.

If Boehly and his recruiting team can get a move for Watkins over the line before the end of the window he will go in as a major upgrade over Nicolas Jackson.

Nicolas Jackson's first season with Chelsea

The Blues rushed to sign the Senegal international from Villarreal on a permanent deal last summer to lead Pochettino's line-up last season.

He ended up enduring a mixed campaign in front of goal for the Premier League giants as he showed plenty of signs of promise while leaving much to be desired in his overall performance.

A combination of his electric movement in the final third and Chelsea's creativity, from Cole Palmer, meant that Jackson finished the season with the fifth highest xG figure in the top flight at 18.64.

However, the 23-year-old's finishing disappointed him repeatedly as he managed to find the back of the net 14 times and missed an incredible 24 'big chances'.

Jackson scored 17 goals and provided six assists in 44 appearances for the Blues in all competitions last term, showing he was far from perfect as the 23-year-old striker still posed a goal threat.

As you can see in the table above, the Senegalese striker was incredibly wasteful of the opportunities that came his way in the top flight.

19 goals and an assist in a debut season in England for the 23-year-old striker is a good debut campaign on paper but the numbers below suggest it could have been, and probably was, much better.

His consistency in front of goal could be the reason Chelsea are now looking for a “marquee” midfielder to lead the line under Maresca next season, while Watkins could be a dream signing to come as an upgrade on the former LaLiga striker.

Why Chelsea should sign Ollie Watkins

First, he is a homegrown and proven player who has a good chance to hit the big time because of his experience in the league.

The 28-year-old scored 59 goals and provided 26 assists in 146 Premier League appearances for Villa throughout his career, after returning 45 goals in 132 Championship outings.

19 of his top-flight goals came in the 2023/24 campaign under Emery at Villa Park, as the England international enjoyed a torrid year to help his side qualify for the Champions League – finishing above Chelsea.

He ranks in the top 19% in non-penalty goals per 90 (0.53) and in the top 1% in assists per 90 (0.36), which shows just how good his play has been in the league.

Watkins, who scored 27 goals in 53 games in all competitions for his club last season, will come as a major upgrade from Jackson to Maresca.

As you can see in the table above, the England striker produced more quality in the final third compared to the Chelsea striker.

The former Brentford star, who was hailed as “brilliant” by journalist Ryan Adsett, fired in another five goals despite a small xG created by his teammates.

This suggests that Watkins is a much better coach than Jackson and, therefore, could turn Chelsea's fortunes that way, as they could go from making their xG to more than expected – they do a lot with Palmer's genius.

The Villa sensation also created more 'big chances' and assisted more goals than the Senegalese, meaning he can offer more quality as a scorer and goal creator.

That's why Chelsea must now go ahead and convince the Villans to part with the striker as he will be a better fit for Jackson next season.