One position Chelsea have spent years trying to nail down is the striker position, once held by the likes of Didier Drogba and Diego Costa. Attempting to replace their legendary talisman hasn't gone to plan, with the infamous "number nine curse" still looming.
Drogba made 381 appearances for the Blues, scoring 164 goals and providing 88 assists, whilst Costa made 120 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 59 goals and providing 21 assists.
Since Costa left the club in January 2018, Chelsea have had numerous strikers trying to replicate the output desired, such as Alvaro Morata, Gonzalo Higuain, Timo Werner, Olivier Giroud, and of course, Romelu Lukaku, all big-name signings made in an attempt to solve their number nine problems.
Chelsea close in on new striker signing
According to reports from Gianluca Di Marzio, Chelsea are getting closer to signing Atlético Madrid striker, Samu Omorodion. However, this will reportedly close the doors on a move for Napoli striker, Victor Osimhen.
Labelled as "an absolute monster in the making" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Omorodion stands at 6 foot 4 tall, and is praised for his physical qualities, with a strong, powerful build, blistering speed, and nimble feet for a big man.
Omorodion made 35 appearances in La Liga last season, scoring nine goals, providing one assist, and totalling 2,096 minutes played.
Omorodion vs Jackson comparison
Nicolas Jackson, another Chelsea striker signing who actually seems to be progressing very well, made 44 appearances in all competitions for the Blues last season, in his debut campaign, scoring 17 goals, and providing six assists.
Many regard his first season in the Premier League as a success. Despite missing some big chances early on in the season, Jackson slowly improved and ended the campaign strong, scoring four goals in the final five games.
You can see from the metrics below that the Chelsea frontman is a more complete striker than Omorodion, offering progressive carrying qualities, an ability to create shots for himself and others, averaging 3.05 shot-creating actions per 90, and producing 0.60 xG per 90.
Goals
0.41
0.45
Assists
0.05
0.16
xG
0.52
0.60
Shots
3.02
2.57
Shots on Target
1.17
1.22
Progressive Carries
1.35
2.25
Successful Take-Ons
0.99
1.74
Shot-Creating Actions
1.49
3.05
Aerials Won
2.75
1.13
However, what Omorodion brings are unteachable physical traits, a 6 foot 4 frame as referenced earlier, ridiculous speed and agility for someone of his stature, and therefore a real box presence that is currently missing from the Chelsea squad.
The 20-year-old wins 2.75 aerials per 90, and this comes in an Alaves side that averages 40.7% possession (the least in La Liga) and 5.2 accurate crosses per 90. He also averages 5.05 penalty area touches per 90, a metric that would likely massively spike even more in a heavy possession side.
The gravity a player like Omorodion can attract helps those around him, especially in a physical league such as the Premier League. Much like Erling Haaland, defenders are worried to leave him 1v1, knowing he has the physical traits to bully his opponent.
This can lead to extra coverage, allowing the attacking midfielders (half space players) more space between the lines, meaning they can start to affect the game more and more, all just down to the presence of their big striker.
Transition threat also applies to this, as teams don't want to leave a striker of this profile 1v1 on the break, something we saw multiple times last season from Haaland at Man City, bulldozing his way through (as seen below) and scoring in transition.
Jackson as a left wing option
Now the problem that comes with signing Omorodion, is what to do with Jackson, who had an impressive first Premier League campaign. Whilst Omorodion won't declare an instant starting spot, and we will see them rotating for minutes, another option would be the Senegal international starting off the left.
Something we saw a few times under Pochettino last season, was Jackson starting on the left flank, a role the 23-year-old had also previously done at Villarreal prior to joining the Blues, and his skillset is definitely versatile enough for this.
His 3.05 shot-creating actions per 90, 2.25 progressive carries per 90 (despite often being in tight space centrally) and 1.74 successful take-ons per 90, show Jackson's ability as a ball carrier, to create space for himself and others.
His long stride and ability to carry the ball with purpose, using his body to protect the ball and burst away from his man at speed, would allow Jackson to occupy these wide areas under Maresca, and find himself in 1v1 scenarios.
The former Villarreal attacker is a player who possesses brilliant ball manipulation in tight areas and has the stride to get away, which would suit the wide areas in Maresca's system, who often find themselves with chances to run at the full-back, and be direct.
The dynamic of possibly having Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall next to him as a number eight too would allow Jackson to cut inside on his stronger right foot, with the summer midfield addition overlapping into the channel, to provide that left-footed crossing ability and balance that side of the pitch.
The main issue would be end product for Jackson, as despite his ability to beat his man, the efficiency of his final action would have to improve, certainly in order to get the best out of Omorodion as a striker, and provide him with the chances in the penalty area.
Jackson only averages 0.09 expected assists per 90, averages 0.16 crosses per 90, and 0.68 passes into the penalty area, however, he was playing predominantly as a centre forward, so these metrics will be affected by that.
Jackson is better as a striker, using his close control and ability closer to the box, and carrying the team forwards in transition. However, if Omorodion does join the Blues, there would definitely be a case to see them both in the same lineup at some point, with the possibility of last summer's bid addition playing from the left-hand side.
Chelsea targeting £25m Gallagher replacement who's "like Frank Lampard"
Interest in this talented midfielder is ramping up…
ByAngus Sinclair
