Top 5 hitmen that Chelsea must pursue in the January transfer window

When Jose Mourinho returned to the Stamford Bridge dugout this offseason, he inherited a squad blessed with midfield prowess but toothless on the attacking front. With the likes of Juan Mata, Oscar, Eden Hazard, Ramires, Marko Marin and the ever reliable Frank Lampard, Mourinho had no qualms about his midfield depth. While Kevin de Bruyne returned from loan, Mourinho further strengthened his midfield by adding winger Andre Schurrle from Bayern Munich and defensive midfielder Marco van Ginkel from SBV Vitesse.

In other words, Mourinho was trying to replicate his blueprint for success during his first spell as Chelsea manager where the bulk of his goals came from the midfield through the boots of Frank Lampard, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Arjen Robben and Damien Duff. Though this does not malign the contributions of the prolific Didier Drogba, Mourinho was so confident that most Chelsea’s attacking intent arose from the midfield. Flash back to the 2004-05 season where Frank Lampard led all scorers for Chelsea with 19 goals culminating in Chelsea wresting the Premier League title from the grip of defending champions Arsenal. The next season Lampard managed to find the net 20 times despite the return on Hernan Crespo from loan.

The subsequent season witnessed the prolific Didier Drogba netting 33 goals. But Lampard continued his tremendous goal scoring form improving upon his previous season’s tally 21 goals, this despite the arrival of Andriy Shevchenko from AC Milan.

Fast forward to the 2013-14 season and the stats are quite similar. Fernando Torres, Demba Ba and Samuel Eto’o have combined for a measly total of four goals in the Premier League. Their performances have been overshadowed by the stirring form of a certain Romelo Lukaku, loaned by Chelsea to Everton. The towering Belgian has found the net 8 times already, which is double the tally of the three Chelsea strikers put together. Thus speculations have been rife that Mourinho is on the lookout for top notch striker who can find the back of the goal on a regular basis who shall serve as the elusive final piece of the puzzle that propels Chelsea to mount a serious charge for this season’s silverware. Here are Jose Mourinho’s top 5 options to fill the void left by Didier Drogba.

Radamel Falcao

Radamel Falcao – Answer to Chelsea’s striker woes?

Falcao was on Chelsea’s radar ever since he announced himself as one of Europe’s deadliest strikers with a tally of 34 goals last season for Atletico Madrid in all competitions. In a league that in the recent past was dominated by the individual brilliance of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, Falcao rose to prominence with some sterling displays and that made many heads turn. In his two seasons at Atletico, the Colombian scored a combined 52 goals from 67 appearances in the La Liga.

The following summer, Chelsea were one of the premier clubs in the running for the Colombian, but eventually withdrew from the race after deeming the price too steep. Surprisingly, he opted to sign with French club AS Monaco where he currently earns nearly £450,000-a-week. Reports have surfaced that Chelsea are really interested in signing him and the rumors have only escalated after Mourinho was seen in attendance during Colombia’s recent friendly against Belgium. But Chelsea will have to break the bank to lure him from Monaco, with reports suggesting that the fee may go up to a whopping £80 million.

Diego Costa

Diego Costa

If the last two seasons were all about Radamel Falcao, this season is Diego Costa’s time to shine at Atletico Madrid. Initially a fringe player for the Los Rojiblancos, the transfer of Falcao to Monaco this season has witnessed a greater role for Costa, and boy has he responded. Costa has found the net 18 times in 19 appearances this season and is currently the second highest goal scorer in the La Liga, behind Cristiano Ronaldo.

He has filled the shoes of Falcao perfectly, with his tremendous accuracy and would be a good fit to the Stamford Bridge side, who this season have squandered many opportunities in front of goal. He is also available for a much lesser price than Falcao, in the range of £20 million. But other clubs are also in the running to secure his capture with Borussia Dortmund lining him up to replace Robert Lewandowski who seems dead set on leaving the club this summer.

Jackson Martinez

Jackson Martinez – Is he the divine intervention that Chelsea seek?

Another Colombian whose name continues to be dangled in transfer talks surrounding Chelsea is FC Porto star Jackson Martinez, with ESPN reporting that his agent has secretly met with Roman Abramovich’s right-hand man Marina Granovskaia about a potential move to London in January. Martinez scored 34 goals in 43 appearances in all competitions for Porto last season and his playing style has impressed many. He is a physically strong and difficult to knock off the ball. Known for his aerial prowess he is also extremely efficient in front of goal, attributes that seem to desert the current crop of Chelsea strikers.

Luis Suarez

Luis Suarez

When Suarez and Chelsea are mentioned in the same context, the first image that comes to mind is him biting Branislav Ivanovic. But this season, Suarez has not let his past controversies belittle him and has instead focused on his performances on the pitch for the Anfield club. The Uruguayan sits on top of the scorer’s list in the Premier League with 14 goals from 10 appearances. His recent four goal demolition against Norwich City featured a spectacular strike from near the half line where Suarez caught John Ruddy off his line. Though Liverpool are determined not to sell him, the lure of playing in the Champions League may draw him away from Merseyside where Liverpool have failed to qualify for Europe’s elite competition for the past 4 seasons.

Edinson Cavani

Edinson Cavani – Unsettled at PSG?

Another Uruguayan who has been reportedly unsettled at his new club, Paris Saint-Germain is Edinson Cavani. Playing second fiddle to Zlatan Ibrahimovic has not been taken lightly by the former Napoli striker, who has apparently asked his agent for a move away from his current club, this despite scoring 11 goals in Ligue 1. Again his potential suitors may have to be willing to overpay for his services, with him costing PSG a whopping €64 million, the 5^th highest transfer in history. His tenure in Naples witnessed a return of 78 goals in 104 appearances that made him one of the most sought after strikers in Europe. This summer he opted to join PSG where he could link up with his ex-Napoli teammate Ezeqiuel Lavezzi but has is not pleased at his current role with the club.

All the strikers listed above are being tracked by multiple clubs and if Mourinho wants to bolster his frontline, he has to act fast, albeit not in haste.