The Blues are reportedly in the market for a new goalscorer
Former Aston Villa striker Stan Collymore is of the view that Villans duo Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings would be good additions for Chelsea.
The Blues re-signed Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan for a club-record sum of £97.5 million last summer. However, the Belgium international has struggled to replicate his Nerazzurri form at Stamford Bridge, scoring just 12 goals from 36 appearances across all competitions.
With 2020 signing Timo Werner also struggling to establish himself as a regular starter, Chelsea are expected to sign a new forward in the summer. The Blues’ interest in bringing in a goalscorer has been highlighted by claims that they are among the clubs leading the chase for Benfica’s Darwin Nunez.
Collymore has now urged Thomas Tuchel’s side to sign either Watkins or Ings to bolster their attack. The former Aston Villa star believes the Villa duo will score 20 to 25 goals a season at Chelsea. He was quoted as saying by BirminghamLive:
“They should be looking for a 22-year-old or 23-year-old somewhere in Europe. If not, then maybe Watkins, or even his Villa strike partner Ings, if they’re happy to go older. Because that kind of player would score 20 to 25 goals in that team and those goals would take Chelsea a big, big step closer to what they want to achieve.”
There are uncertainties about the Blues’ future after owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the United Kingdom for his connections with Russia. However, Collymore feels the future could still be bright for them. He said:
“The question now will be: ‘Do the new owners want to compete?’. If they do, then with players coming through and with Conor Gallagher back off loan [from Crystal Palace], the future could be a bright one for the Blues.”
Could Chelsea sign Aston Villa stars Watkins or Ings?
Aston Villa signed Watkins from Brentford for an initial sum of £28 million in 2020. The centre-forward made a bright start to his life in Birmingham, scoring 16 goals and providing five assists from 40 matches in his debut season.
However, Watkins has struggled for form this time around. The Englishman has managed to find the back of the net just eight times in 29 matches across all competitions so far.
Ings, on the other hand, joined Aston Villa from Southampton for £25 million last summer. Like Watkins, the 29-year-old has also struggled for form, scoring just five goals in 24 Premier League appearances.
