Victor Osimhen vs Ivan Toney : Who would be the better fit for Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea?

So far for Chelsea, new striker Nicolas Jackson has shown a lot of promise since joining in the summer.

But being so young and raw, the goals are still yet to start flying in, which has seen Chelsea become the most “wasteful” team in the league, massively under performing their x/G with Jackson at the forefront of this issue.

So with this being said, will Chelsea look to make a more experienced signing in January? Someone who guarantees goals, and who would fit best?

The two big names being linked with moves to Stamford Bridge are 27-year-old Ivan Toney from Brentford, and 24-year-old Victor Osimhen from Napoli. Both of which are excellent options, but which would fit Chelsea better, and have a more positive impact on the team?

Victor Osimhen:

The Napoli talisman scored 26 goals in 32 games in the Serie A last campaign, and has scored 64 goals in 109 games in total for the italian club.

Osimhen is a real presence in the box, excellent at holding the ball up and is a clinical box finisher.

The Nigerian ranks in the top 99% for Non-penalty goals with 0.88 per 90, the top 99% for shots with 4.48 per 90 and the top 99% of attacking area touches with 7.98 per 90.

His 7.98 touches in the attacking area shows his box presence, and ability to get on the ball in extremely dangerous areas, whether he is creating a shot in this area or holding the ball up inside the box, allowing runners to get around him and benefit from this advantageous position.

Osimhen is also very fast and powerful, which means he is capable of running the channels and alleviating pressure as an outlet, rather than just being a hold up central striker. This would work well with how Chelsea play, as it has been seen numerous times this season with Jackson making runs in behind and into the channels, with the likes of Silva, Colwill and Enzo looking to pick those passes in behind.

The real issue with a move for Osimhen would be the price. In the summer window, it was rumoured it would take a bid close to £150m to get Osimhen out of Napoli, and trying to get him in January would surely be an even tougher task, even with the recent situation between himself and the club.

All in all, Osimhen would be a top class signing, and he would score goals for Chelsea with the amount of chances they are creating, plus, he would be a great hold up player and would offer a brilliant outlet when running the channels and getting in behind.

However the price tag and unknown nature of the Premier league would both pose slight risks in the signing, as it has been seen in the past when Chelsea have spent big money on strikers from other top european leagues.

Ivan Toney:

The Brentford man scored 20 Premier league goals last season for the Bees in 33 appearances.

He has also scored 12 in the 2021/22 campaign in the Premier league and has scored a total of 68 goals in 124 games for Brentford in his time at the club.

Toney ranks in the top 63% for Non-penalty goals (0.4 per 90), the top 54% for shots total (2.62 per 90) and the top 52% for touches in the attacking area (4.8 per 90) which are all worse than Osimhen.

In general, Toney’s numbers don’t match up with Osimhen very well, only really beating him in aerials won (3.39 per 90 to Osimhen’s 2.45 per 90).

However what Toney does offer is better value for money, a proven Premier league goalscorer, and more experience which are all things that could benefit Chelsea when looking to make a forward signing this January.

Chelsea have made mistakes in the past signing players from other leagues by putting pressure on them to hit the ground running scoring goals.

With Toney, Chelsea know what they are getting, an experienced striker who has played in the Premier league and scored goals at a very prolific level for a “worse” team who create less chances than the Blues.

Therefore this deal presents a good opportunity for Chelsea to add another leader to their squad (something they currently lack), as well as addressing their goal scoring issues with a cheaper solution than the aforementioned Victor Osimhen.

Toney would fit in well with the group, knowing some players from England international duty, and he would become an instant leader of the group which could help the younger players settling into the squad.

It is believed a deal could be struck for around £60m so this would be probably half the price Chelsea could lure Osimhen away from Napoli for, which with the recent spending from Boehly and co, could be important.

This move could also benefit Nicolas Jackson more than a move for Osimhen, who has looked very bright since joining Chelsea, showing really good signs and doing lots of things right, except for finding the net as much as he should be according to his numbers.

Toney could help release some of the pressure from his shoulders, whilst not blocking his path into the team, and they could also be seen as a front two, with Jackson drifting in off the left and being slightly more mobile around Toney who could be the focal point of the team.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, Osimhen has the higher ceiling and could be the star studded striker that Chelsea need to fire them up the league, however this would be another £100m+ move for the Blues, and has more risk to it.

Compared to Toney, who is cheaper, a Premier league proven goalscorer, and has more experience which could help lead Chelsea. This would be the safer move, and a very effective one at that.

Both strikers would massively improve the blues, but I am of the opinion that Toney could be the better value and lower risk deal for Chelsea, and could even be better for protecting Jackson as an asset going forward.