For some unknown reason Conte seems to be interested in signing a tall striker who excels at set pieces and making himself a nuisance for his adversaries while in the box.
Not sure why because the Blues want such a threat when they have a dynamic playing style and need someone quick to run in behind. The only explanation would be that Conte is in need of an “extra time” striker. Someone who gets into the box no matter what and wins as many air duels as possible.
If Conte genuinely feels he could utilise such a player this season then perhaps it is worth a shot as the boss has only been using Morata and Batshuayi so far this season as a striker.
If reports are to be believed at this point it seems that Conte has 3 players in mind:
Edin Dzeko – 1,92 m – Under contract with Roma until 2020. He has the Premier League experience having played for Manchester City and he is of course strong in the air. He has scored 12 goals in 26 games this season so he is in good form as well. The problem is that he is unlikely to come knowing he will be a substitute for someone else this February. He is valued at about £25million.
Andy Carroll – 1,93 m – Under contract with West Ham until 2019. He would be the best choice out of all 3. He has only played in the UK and has done so for the last 12 years having moved to East London after previous spells with Newcastle and a massive move to Liverpool, he is also reasonably skilled for his size and can pull off some impressive shots. He is injury prone and could be out for a month right now after damaging his ankle plus his goal scoring has not been so good of late – he has scored 2 goals this season in 14 games.
Fernando Llorente – 1,93 m – Under contract with Tottenham until 2019. He is the oldest of the 3 but would be the easiest to sign. Even though he’s made 22 appearances for Spurs this season, he is not a key player. He scored 2 goals and will not be taking Kane’s place unless the England international gets injured. He would also be fine with playing 2nd fiddle to Morata.
If you think of what is left of this season as extra time, extra time in which you need to get a positive result then this looks like a good idea from Conte. There are a lot of games ahead and no star-like player is close to Chelsea right now so why not make the most of what is available.