Enzo Maresca and his new Chelsea side have been underway on their US pre-season tour, as they prepare for the upcoming Premier League campaign, which opens for them on the 18th of August, facing last season’s champions, Manchester City.
Recruitment to equip Maresca with a squad worthy of Champions League football is currently underway, with the likes of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Leicester’s POTY last season, new goalkeeper option Filip Jorgensen, and Fulham’s Tosin Adarabioyo all significant squad reinforcements so far.
However, one area Chelsea continuously seems to be linked with is the striker department, looking to add to their options of Nicolas Jackson, who managed 14 Premier League goals in his first season for the Blues, and Christopher Nkunku, who struggled through injury last season, only managing 14 appearances, and 516 minutes of football.
Chelsea’s hunt for a new striker
According to reports from Simon Phillips, Chelsea could turn their attention to RB Leipzig forward, Loïs Openda if talks for Victor Osimhen from Napoli do not progress any further.
Fabrizio Romano reported that Napoli were open to discussing Osimhen in their talks for Romelu Lukaku. However, in the past few days, nothing seems to have progressed on that front, but it is believed Lukaku remains Napoli’s priority target upfront, as Antonio Conte “only wants Lukaku”.
Openda made 45 appearances for Leipzig in all competitions last season, scoring 28 goals, providing seven assists, and totalling 3,449 minutes of football.
Openda vs Osimhen comparison
Now both forwards offer quite different skill sets, with the smaller 5 foot 9 Openda being able to cover multiple positions, including upfront and out wide, with his quick burst of pace.
However, Osimhen standing at 6 foot 1, has a very powerful frame, making him a real box threat, especially in the air.
When it comes to scoring goals at a high clip this is the table Victor Osimhen sits at.
His only issue is whether or not he can stay healthy. If he can do that he will score, he will fight for 90 minutes and he will run tirelessly for his team. Respect please. pic.twitter.com/Qk9ShwyLtM
— Mohamed Salad (@MohamedASalad) July 30, 2024
The Nigerian striker made 32 appearances for Napoli last season in all competitions, scoring 17 goals, providing four assists, and totalling 2,476 minutes. But his most impressive campaign came the season prior, scoring 31 goals in 39 appearances.
| Openda vs Osimhen comparison | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stats (per 90 mins) | Openda | Osimhen |
| Non-Penalty Goals | 0.72 | 0.52 |
| Shots Total | 4.07 | 3.73 |
| Shots on Target | 1.86 | 1.55 |
| Goals/Shot | 0.18 | 0.14 |
| Assists | 0.19 | 0.11 |
| Progressive Carries | 2.80 | 1.59 |
| Aerials Won | 0.66 | 1.81 |
| Stats taken from FBref | ||
The “terrifying” Openda, as described by Seb Stafford-Bloor, shows his class with a higher non-penalty Goals metric, proves himself as a more efficient shooter with stats such as 1.86 shots on target per 90, and his playmaking abilities with 0.19 assists per 90.
Whilst Openda doesn’t pose the same aerial threat as Osimhen, who averages 1.81 aerials won per 90, compared to Openda’s 0.66 per 90. It doesn’t stop the Belgian being a box threat, still averaging 7.01 touches in the penalty area per 90, which is actually higher than Osimhen, who averages 6.82 per 90.
The 24-year-old Leipzig man would also offer a fix to the Chelsea left-wing scenario, with Fabrizio Romano often referring to the Blues’ desire to acquire a right-footed winger this summer, and Openda could prove to be a solution to both the striker and winger scenarios.
