Callum Wilson’s stock continues to rise.
The striker has been on fire this season, and with the help of his goals, Bournemouth now find themselves just three points off sixth.
In fact, his form for the Cherries this term has already resulted in an England call-up, and it’s starting to attract interest from some of the league’s elite clubs, too.
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In a recent interview, Gianfranco Zola, Chelsea’s assistant coach, was full of praise for the 26-year-old.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the Italian said: “He’s strong, fast and sees the goal. I like him because he’s quick, but also strong in the air. He is of interest, not just for us, but for many.”
Chelsea and Wilson could certainly be a match made in heaven.
The Blues are in dire need of a new forward, with Eden Hazard currently holding the weight of Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud’s mediocrity in front of goal.
What’s more, they’re desperate to get back into the Champions League this season, following a year in the undesirable Europa League.
But to achieve their European ambitions, it looks like they’ll need to get the better of Spurs or Arsenal, as the London-based trio are surely competing for those final two top-four positions behind Man City and Liverpool.
But the problem for Chelsea is that they lack the star-power up front compared to their rivals, with Harry Kane and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scoring for fun right now.
Since Diego Costa was ousted by Antonio Conte in 2017, Hazard has been their top scorer with 21 goals, dating back to the start of last season.
Morata has notched a sub-standard 18 in that time, while Willian and Pedro have both chipped in here and there.
Michy Batshuayi was shipped out on loan to Valencia over the summer, while Giroud has been handy on occasion but surely isn’t the right man to lead the line week in, week out.
Some will claim that Chelsea’s interest in Wilson has a whiff of panic buying, but the £40million rated striker is tailor-made for Maurizio Sarri’s style and could be the perfect January signing.
Chelsea’s system brings the ball right to the edge of the penalty area, often with four or five players in support of the striker, and Wilson could be the predator in the box that they’ve been looking for.
Looking through the stats, all of Wilson’s eight Premier League goals this term have been scored inside the box. Talk about the fox in the box, eh?
But while the evidence is there to suggest that Wilson could help Chelsea, are Chelsea the right club to help Wilson?
The west London side have a reputation of killing off potent strikers, with Fernando Torres and Andriy Shevchenko being two that spring to mind.
Yet Wilson would be joining a Blues side that appears to be breaking their bus-parking trend of the past.
Last season, under Antonio Conte, the Blues were averaging 1.63 goals per game. This term, Sarri has them scoring 2.01.
They are also the only top side at the top end of the Premier League that are in desperate need of a new forward.
A team like Man United might be keen to make a move for Wilson, but he would be jumping on a unsteady ship that can’t guarantee him that number one striker status.
Chelsea will be keeping an eye on Wilson during their clash with Bournemouth on Wednesday, when they meet in the Carabao Cup.
The England striker might want to familiarise himself with the SW6 surroundings while he’s there.
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