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Chelsea's search for the perfect striker
For anybody familiar with the game of soccer and its prestigious leagues, chances are that you have probably at some point heard about Chelsea FC which is one of the English Premier League's best establishments. Though established way back in 1905, the club just came to its own as recently as the turn of the century, especially with its acquisition by Russian Billionaire Roman Abramovich back in 2003. Since then Chelsea FC has grown in leaps and bounds and has become one of the biggest and most easily recognized sporting brands in the world.
With the recent successes and expansion of the club's fame, it is no surprise that the supporter base of the club has grown in leaps and bounds around the world. This group of fans has watched the exploits of Didier Drogba. The charismatic Ivorian played a big part in Chelsea's rise scoring 164 goals in 381 games. Beyond the numbers Drogba also delivered for Chelsea on the big stage: The first man to score in 3 different league cup finals, he also scored 2 goals against Liverpool to fire the Blues to their first ever Champions League final in 2008. He scored the equalizer in the FA Cup final as Chelsea went on to win 2-1 against Everton in 2009, the only goal in the final against Portsmouth in 2010 and the winner again in 2012 as Chelsea defeated Liverpool 2-1. Didier Drogba scored a late equalizer against Bayern Munich in 2012 and Chelsea went to win their first Champions League trophy with Drogba scoring the winning penalty.
Drogba left Chelsea after that and had spells in China and Turkey before returning once again to pick up his 4th Premier League title before finally leaving, a proper legend.
Without Drogba, Chelsea is still a big team. During his absence in the 2012/13 season, they won the UEFA Europa League and came runners-up in the FA Community Shield, UEFA Super Cup, and Club World Cup. Though they also finished 3rd in the League; Chelsea didn't have a true leader up front. Fernando Torres, signed from rivals Liverpool failed to live up to his 50 million pound fee. He wasn't all terrible, however. He scored the 3rd goal in the 2012 semifinals against FC Barcelona. Torres was only able to score 45 goals in his 172 games for Chelsea.
The West London giants signed Spanish striker Diego Costa in 2014 for 32 million pounds. Costa and Drogba played together during the 2014/15 season. Diego Costa, unlike Fernando Torres, was an inspired signing for Chelsea. He scored 7 goals in his first 4 games, a Premier League record. He ended the season with 20 league goals as Chelsea won a Premier League and League Cup double. Costa was hungry and very passionate, a quality admired by Chelsea fans but loathed by the opposition. Diego Costa has scored 59 goals in 120 appearances for Chelsea and has been very pivotal winning 2 league titles for the Blues.
He doesn't have as many highlights as Didier Drogba, but Costa statistically is the best Chelsea striker in the Premier League era. He has filled Drogba's boots in a different way, offering the team a consistent threat, something Drogba couldn't give (Although Drogba was a big game player, he had a knack for disappearing in the small games). Costa is also a bit of a hot head and a difficult player. His record of a solitary red card during his stay is baffling for a player who seemed to spend most of his games fighting with the opposition players. He has also had his share of problems with the club itself, coming back from holidays overweight in 2015, he has also continuously flirted with a return to former club Atletico Madrid. A mega bid from Chinese club Tianjin Quanjin earlier this year managed to turn his head, and there were rumors of a bust off with Coach Antonio Conte. Costas form after the Chinese clubs approach was not the same as he appeared to put in half-hearted displays although he still managed 8 goals in 21 appearances.
After a successful 2016/17 season where Chelsea won the Premier League and got to the final of the FA Cup, it was announced that Coach Antonio Conte had already informed Costa of his decision to release him. The coach is not one to put up with Costas behavior and now it's safe to say Diego Costa is on his way out of Chelsea.
Chelsea FC is now in the market for a striker. Everton striker Romelu Lukaku looked like a likely option and negotiations were already at the advanced stages before the deal was hijacked by Manchester United. Lukaku, who used to play for Chelsea was signed by Chelsea from Anderlecht in 2009 but made just 15 appearances and was later loaned out to West Brom before he was eventually sold to Everton. Lukaku is big, strong and can dribble the ball. A Drogba-like player and before Manchester United signed him he looked likely to be returning to his old club.
Now that Lukaku is off the table, Chelsea has to look to other options. The West London Blues have been linked to Torinos Andrea Belotti and Alvaro Morata of Real Madrid. Rumors of links to Manchester Citys Sergio Aguero exists though it doesn't seem likely. The club was also linked to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Dortmund, but the club has recently announced that he will be staying at the club. Andrea Belotti is reportedly close to joining AC Milan. If Chelsea is unable to sign a striker this season, they can always look to their bench: Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi was bought for a 30 million pound fee last season but was used sparingly by Coach Antonio Conte. The Belgian has shown signs of promise and can be trusted to carry the Chelsea team next season. If the club doesn't show any faith in him, who knows; they might just be creating another Romelu Lukaku.