TURBO CHARGED
Werner coup proves Chelsea are ready to shoot for stars again
NO WONDER Chelsea fans are starting to get excited again.
At Stamford Bridge over the past decade it has been feast or famine with either transition and acrimony or title and European success. The shrewd acquisition of Timo Werner, nicknamed Turbo because of his blistering speed, suggests it could well be another of those good years in the blue section of London.
The deal is all but done with Liverpool standing aside and Chelsea transfer supremo Marina Granovskaia bringing her skilful negotiating acumen to bear.
She may well have been inspired by an interview Werner gave in March when, with Manchester United rivalling Liverpool’s interest, the 24-yearold spoke of his dilemma.
“At this time in professional soccer there are two different variations,” he said. “The first is to be part of a team like Liverpool or Manchester City. They have a good working team. The teams have great coaches.
“But do you want to go to that kind of team, because the situation is already that hard for each member and you want to be a part of it? That’s one point you have to look at.
“The other side are teams that need some big changes because they have just won a few big titles, but they are not able to compete on the highest level any more.
“So at this point of my career I’m asking myself, ‘do I want to be part of a new team, to build up something new, or do I want to stay at my team and make something great?’”
He has chosen to build up something new and, with Ajax schemer Hakim Ziyech arriving on July 1, he will give Frank Lampard an intoxicating new dimension to his strike force.
Chelsea are no strangers to German talent having accommodated Andre Schurrle, nurtured Robert Huth and welcomed the highly-decorated Michael Ballack.
Werner could go down as one of the best. The striker is no Fernando Torres. Despite his outstanding numbers at RB Leipzig, this particular penaltybox player will arrive entering his prime. That Turbo nickname comes with Werner clocked at 11.1 seconds for the 100metres.
With Callum Hudson-Odoi and Christian Pulisic among Frank Lampard’s attacking options, opposition defenders could end up needing roller skates.
In a 4-3-3,Werner could easily play as a wide forward as he did for Leipzig under Julian Nagelsmann.
But he could also operate more centrally alongside a central striker such as Tammy Abraham. Werner has partnered Yussuf Poulsen in attack for his current club. Should Lampard opt for a 4-2-3-1 formation, Werner could play wide left with Abraham up front, Mason Mount behind him and Ziyech on the right. Abraham, having liked an Instagram post of Werner mocked up in a Chelsea shirt, clearly has no fears about his arrival.
Should the club, as expected, secure Champions League football for next season, they will also be in pole position to land Leicester left-back Ben Chilwell.
But it is up front that they are strengthening and they are hoping Werner can shoot them back to the Premier League summit.