Chelsea are aiming to take the Premier League by storm under Enzo Maresca this season, putting the misery of recent years firmly to bed.
The 6-2 thrashing of Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux one week ago shone a light on Stamford Bridge's colourful attacking talent, with Cole Palmer scoring and supplying all three goals for Noni Madueke's emphatic hat-trick.
Chelsea star Cole Palmer
Summer signing Joao Felix scored on his second Blues debut, with Pedro Neto claiming the assist at his former stomping ground.
Nicolas Jackson also bagged his first of the season, but transfer activity would suggest that Maresca wants an upgrade at no. 9.
FFC Deadline Day (1)
Chelsea's late hunt for a new striker
Chelsea have been interested in signing Victor Osimhen this summer and, as per Fabrizio Romano, remain hopeful of winning the battle against Al Ahli in Saudi Arabia for the Napoli centre-forward.
Al Ahli are in theory willing to pay Osimhen £480k per week, or thereabouts. As such, Chelsea are considering alternatives at this late stage, with Football Insider reporting that Brentford's Ivan Toney is still on the radar.
Valued at about £40m, the 28-year-old is also being pursued by Arsenal and Manchester United, so Chelsea might want to make their move quickly, stealing ahead and strengthening further ahead of a pivotal campaign.
What Ivan Toney would bring to Chelsea
Goals and assists - oh, and a physical presence that would strike a frisson of fear through Chelsea's adversaries. Toney has actually been said to be "kind of like Harry Kane" by England teammate Declan Rice for his rounded skills
The 28-year-old is a proven Premier League star and would be significantly more affordable than Osimhen. Moreover, Toney would be more inclined to allow Jackson into the fray at times, whereas Osimhen's superstar standing and salary demands make a telling comment on where he believes he should be in the club's pecking order.
Hailed as a "monster" of a striker by Thomas Frank, Toney has missed Brentford's opening fixtures this season as a resolution is sought out, and while his 2023/24 season was hampered by a long-term suspension, he thrived the year before.
Premier League 2022/23: Top Scorers
Player
Apps
Goals
Erling Haaland
35
36
Harry Kane
38
30
Ivan Toney
33
20
Mohamed Salah
38
19
Callum Wilson
31
18
As per FBref, he ranked among the top 11% of forwards in the top flight that year for goals scored and the top 9% for assists per 90, emphasising the kind of focal role he would play under Maresca.
Just imagine him and Palmer, who is something of an elite-level goalscorer himself but boasts one of the finest creative games in the business - over two league fixtures thus far in 2024/25, the 22-year-old has indeed claimed three assists and placed a whopping six key passes, as per Sofascore.
Palmer is one of Europe's eminent talents following his emergence last term, scoring 25 goals and adding 15 assists across 45 matches.
Madueke, after claiming the match ball last weekend, revealed that the England international has "got the ability to play the right pass at the right time", something Toney would no doubt relish at club level.
Chelsea need to shift a few pieces but there's definitely room to sign a player of Toney's calibre. After all, he might prove to light up the Premier League alongside Palmer, forming a new partnership for the ages.
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