Chelsea have recently been linked with a £35m move for AFC Bournemouth forward Callum Wilson as The Blues continue in their search to solve their striking issues.

Current Chelsea attackers Olivier Giroud and Alvaro Morata haven’t fully convinced new Blues boss Maurizio Sarri; Giroud is great in the build-up play but the Frenchman has been poor in terms of his scoring return this season and Morata has been fairly inconsistent with his form since arriving in 2017.

Could Callum Wilson represent the best of both worlds?

His form this season has seen Callum receive his first call-up for the English national team. No England player has so far bettered the Cherries hitman’s six Premier League goals thus far this term. In fact only Sergio Aguero, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang  and Eden Hazard have scored more top flight goals in England’s top tier this term.

Wilson has had a difficult time of it in the Premier League, as he’s twice been seriously sidelined with cruciate ligament injuries. But he’s fought back twice and looked very accomplished when he’s leading the line.

In total; the twenty-six year old has made seventy-two top flight appearances and found the net twenty-five times.

The striker is an intelligent player. He can use his strength and speed to evade challenges, turn players and get into the box. He knows how to find space when inside the penalty area and that’s a valuable commodity for any striker. He can finish with either foot. On average, he has taken around 2.6 shots per game this term.

The Bournemouth forward is very energetic and has been thriving in a team that likes to attack, which is same mindset that they have at Stamford Bridge.

As well as being a dependable goalscorer, Callum is also great at creating chances for those playing in and around him. The forward has been on hand to assist four times in his opening twelve league appearances this season.

The striker has a habit of making forceful and deliberate runs into the channels, then finding himself on the ball and producing strong deliveries into the box. By doing that he creates plenty of space for incoming fellow attackers. it’s worked brilliantly for Ryan Fraser, David Brooks and Josh King and it would work equally well for Hazard, Pedro and Willian.

You’ve got to imagine Sarri would like a forward that could offer the assists of Giroud and the goals of Morata, Wilson could be that man.

But we can’t ignore the question marks.

It’s great that he’s had an injury free spell and managed to get a full preseason under his belt but his previous injuries might still put off potential suitors.

Then there’s the fact that he still hasn’t proven himself on the international stage and he hasn’t had the chance to show if he can handle the rigours of elite European competition. Chelsea know they need to get the next striking signing right and they might want a bigger star name, although they should know by now that reputation guarantees nothing!

Wilson’s passing stats aren’t the best either (passing success rate 65%). Maurizio wants to see his players coming back with over 85% in that particular stat.

Then there is AFC Bournemouth.

The Cherries have enjoyed a terrific start to the season and currently find themselves in sixth place. I doubt they’ll be wanting to lose any key stars in January as that will upset the good continuity they’ve been enjoying lately.

When asked by the Bournemouth Daily Echo if he would entertain any bids for his frontman, Cherries boss Eddie Howe stated:

“Of course not. From my position, sitting here as the manager, I’m looking to build a team.”

“I still feel we are a relatively new team with this group of players and the signings we made in the summer.”

“I’m really pleased with how the squad is set up and the structure of it and I don’t want to break that.”

I think Callum Wilson could be a good recruit for Chelsea as he has the skill-set that could see Maurizio Sarri get a forward that offers more than what’s currently available to him.

I’m just not so sure that he’d be the star striker that the Blues fans are craving for and I doubt Bournemouth would do a deal during the winter transfer window.

Posted on November 12th, 2018 by scott
Filed under: Article