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After months of speculation, it appears Chelsea are really making some significant headway in completing the signing of German striker Andre Schürrle from Bayer Leverkusen.

If the German does join, he will be the fourth striker at Chelsea next season, with Romelu Lukaku set to return after his successful loan spell at West Brom, in addition to Demba Ba and Fernando Torres who are already at the West London club.

To me, Chelsea’ team lacks a really consistent striker. The trio of Mata, Hazard and Oscar, have looked supreme, not always, but they seem to create chances almost effortlessly. The problem has been neither Fernando Torres or Demba Ba have been positionally aware enough to stick the ball into the back of the net more often, this has been especially true in the premier league.

So what does Schürrle offer that can change things in the striker department at Stamford Bridge? Well, for one thing, he is rather unique in the sense that he’s a centre forward, yet he possesses the ability to effortlessly drop back into a supporting striker role or even as a winger. In this sense, he’s quite similar to another former Chelsea striker, Nicolas Anelka who was dynamite at times, either when in a front three with Florent Malouda and Didier Drogba, or on his own.

The only slight doubt I have about Schürrle is whether he really is good enough or more specifically prolific enough to be Chelsea’s first choice striker. After all, Fernando Torres is a player who despite having generally been a disappointment while at Chelsea, has retained his place over and over again. Schürrle has scored a respectable, yet not incredible 12 goals in 38 games.

Many strikers have failed to replicate their previous goal scoring form whilst at Stamford Bridge, with Demba Ba, who has been decent so far at Chelsea, but he lacks the consistency that earned him so many plaudits during his time at Newcastle. For me, Schürrle will need to impress, and impress a lot, if he wants to become the first choice striker at Chelsea next season, a feat which will be even harder if Romelu Lukaku shows the same quality that he has at West Bromwich Albion this season.

Back to what was mentioned earlier and Chelsea’s attacking midfield trio. When Chelsea are at their strongest, it’s Hazard, Mata and Oscar, as that trio, with Moses, Benayoun and Marin all getting the occasional start. Hazard and Mata do tend to perform a class above what the others do, and many Chelsea fans question Oscar’s consistency, despite the Brazilian’s excellent performances for his country. Schürrle could well replace Oscar as a regular starter, and could double up with the striker, whoever that may be.

For me, Chelsea have almost endless possibilities with Schürrle. He’s versatile, able to score from all areas of the pitch, and has excellent movement, perhaps better than any other of Chelsea’s strikers.

I personally would much rather Chelsea buy Schürrle for the full price rather than swap him for the tricky Kevin De Bruyne, but for me, signing the big German would be a great move for the west London club, as it will give the new manager - whoever that may be - a unique and exciting option.

 

Written by Joshua Sodergren

Follow Joshua on Twitter @cheslealad1365

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