Chelsea Want to Sign Their Dream Partner Palmer in a Deal Worth £42 Million

Chelsea are facing another trophyless season as Mauricio Pochettino failed to lead the team to the title in his first year at the club.

The Argentine coach led his side to the League Cup final, losing on penalties to Liverpool, but failed to reach the FA Cup final and his side currently sit ninth in the Premier League table.

However, they still have a chance of securing European football for the 2024/25 season if they finish the season strongly and gain promotion in the division with five games to go.

Attention will then turn fully to the summer transfer window and what the club can do to strengthen its playing squad so that it can compete on all fronts next season.

However, Worth is reportedly already on the move on that front as the Blues look to sign a new centre-forward to lead Pochettino’s line.

Chelsea’s interest in the Bundesliga goalscorer

According to journalist Simon Phillips’ Substack column on Chelsea News, Chelsea are eyeing five strikers ahead of the next transfer window.

The player who is probably the club’s top target in this position is RB Leipzig centre-forward Benjamin Sesko, whose current contract contains a £42m release clause.

Phillips claims that the Blues have already made contact with the Slovenian international through his representatives with a view to a potential move to Stamford Bridge in the coming months.

However, the reporter does not reveal whether the 20-year-old is ready to leave the German club and move to England this summer.

He also does not indicate whether the London-based club is prepared to pay his £42m release clause in full or whether it will try to negotiate a lower fee.

Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Brentford’s Ivan Toney are also mentioned by Phillips, who adds that Roma ace and ex-Chelsea player Tammy Abraham and Juventus star Dusan Vlahovic are also options for them if they fail to achieve their top targets.

This latest update suggests there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes to ensure they have a long list of options to pursue this summer in order to secure a new number nine next season is at the top at Stamford Bridge.

Sesko may be a priority at the moment as the club have approached him about a possible deal to bring him to England and he could be a dream signing to team up with Cole Palmer in the future.

Cole Palmer’s form for Chelsea this season

The left-footed magician, who was signed on a permanent move from Manchester City last summer, has enjoyed a sensational first season with the Blues this season.

The 21-year-old magician has demonstrated his qualities in the Premier League this season, both as a goalscorer and as a goalscorer from attacking midfield or from the wing position.

Before moving to London last year he had scored six goals and provided two assists in 41 first-team games for Pep Guardiola, which does not suggest the young gem was guaranteed to hit the ground running at Chelsea this season.

Yet that’s exactly what the talented star has done, with his near-constant stream of goals and assists for Pochettino’s side throughout the season.

As you can see in the table above, Palmer has, on average, made a direct goal contribution in every game in the Premier League, with a return of 29 goals and assists in 29 games.

His goalscoring ability with 20 goals from just 15.56 xG caught the eye, but his creativity for his teammates was also sensational in the top flight.

The England international is currently in the top 6% of Premier League attacking midfielders and wingers in expected goal assists per 90 (0.34), top 7% in assists per 90 (0.37) and top 9 % in shot-making actions per 90 (5.38).

These statistics show that Palmer is one of the best players at his position in the division when it comes to creating quality chances for his attacking colleagues.

That’s why Chelsea’s signing of a top-class striker would be a dream come true for the English phenom, as he would have a teammate who can make the most of his outstanding opportunities.

Why Chelsea should sign Benjamin Sesko

The Blues should make a deal to sign Sesko this summer as he has the potential to be the dream signing to partner with Palmer next season and beyond.

Once referred to as a “machine”. According to talent scout Jacek Kulig, the 20-year-old sensation moved from RB Salzburg to RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023 after making a great return of 29 goals and 11 assists in 79 games for the Austrian side as a teenager.

He originally came on as a substitute for the German team but has secured a place in the starting XI and demonstrated his lethal nature in front of goal.

As you can see in the table above, Sesko excelled in the final third with 11 goals from 7.23 xG, while current Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson scored fewer goals from more than double the Slovenian star’s xG.

This suggests that the Leipzig man is a significantly better finisher than the Senegal international, having exceeded his xG and missed less than half as many ‘big chances’ as the Blues striker.

In fact, over the last 365 days, Sesko ranks in the top 10% of strikers in men’s Big 5 leagues and European competitions in non-penalty goals per 90 (0.67), showing just how impressive the center forward is as a center forward he was a goalscorer in Germany.

Therefore, the 20-year-old Chelsea target could be a dream come true for Palmer, as his stats suggest he is far more likely to exploit the Englishman’s creativity than Jackson, whose finishing leaves much to be desired.