Mixed bag of forwards have led line in Roman era but there is plenty of confidence behind Belgian. By in Pasadena

HEN it comes to buying strikers, Chelsea have not always found the t a r ge t in the Roman Abramovich era. During 13 years of Russian rule at Stamford Bridge, more than a quarter of a billion pounds has been spent on high-profile names to lead the line and their impact has been varied.

Didier Drogba is regarded as the best frontman in the club’s history, while Ni c o l a s Ane l k a , Di e go C o s t a a n d Hernan Crespo all contributed to Premier League title wins.

However, those successes have been outnumbered with Andriy Shevchenko and Fernando Torres providing the least value for money of all.

Still, there is much confidence at Chelsea that their latest f o r ward recruit, Belgium international Michy Batshuayi, will be remembered for the right reasons.

Bat shu ay i is c ur re nt ly Chel s e a’s biggest purchase of the close season h av i n g joined f ro m Mar s e i l l e for £33.1million.

At just 22, he is still fairly raw and yet he cost more than £1m more than their other acquisition, midfielder N’Golo Kante, who played a major role in Leicester winning the Premier League last term. It shows how much faith new coach Antonio Conte and the club have in Batshuayi.

He has been with the squad for just over a week but is already making a big impact on his new team-mates and could be in l i ne for hi s first s t ar t tonight, as Chelsea face Liverpool here in Pasadena.

Gary Cahill certainly does not have any doubts about the new signing making the grade at the club. The England centre-half has seen Batshuayi close up in training, as well as score twice in an 8-0 friendly win against Austrian minnows Atus Ferlach.

Speaking to Standard Sport, Cahill said: “Michy is going to be a big signing for us. He is a very exciting young talent.

“He is powerful, a good finisher and quick. I played one half of a game pl aye d b e hi nd c l o s e d door s wi t h him last week and saw him f or a little spell.

“Michy likes to run in behind with his movement and hold up the ball. He is physical enough to play as a target man and hold players off to keep the ball but he is also sharp and quick enough to run in behind defences.

“The manager has a game plan and I am sure he will fit into that nicely. He came back the same time as me last week and is still trying to find his fitness like I am and get more game time.

“But from what I have seen of him, he is impressive and Chelsea fans should be very pleased.”

Of course, similar glowing reports were made about some of Batshuayi’s predecessors, only for the weight of expectation and price tag to prove too much to handle.

However, Cahill is convinced that will not be a problem for Batshuayi and added: “I hope he won’t be fazed by the fee or playing for a big club like Chelsea. There is no reason why he should.

“Michy commanded the price tag because of the quality he has, it’s as simple as that. He shouldn’t have any