Chelsea are looking towards Serie A to reinforce their attack, with the Blues in talks to sign Empoli forward Hamed Traore in January.
According to Express, Chelsea are looking to delve into the market in January to add to their attacking options. But, instead of a big-name signing, the Blues are in talks with Empoli, with Hamed Traore the centre of attention. The forward is also on the radar of Juventus and Inter Milan.
Chelsea started off brilliantly under Maurizio Sarri. But, the form has petered off to an extent, mainly due to the profligacy of their strikers, Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud. While the two have managed to be proficient in spades, the lack of consistency is starting to hurt the club.
The latest drawback arrived in the form of Leicester City, who not only defeated Chelsea but recorded a clean sheet against the Blues. The defeat also saw the Eden Hazard experiment come undone after a couple of positive results, which means Sarri will be desperate to add to his attacking options in January.
One has to say, though, that Hamed Junior Traore is a surprising candidate. For one, the player is just 18 and is yet to have a full season of top-flight football under his belt. To add to it, the forward is yet to make a huge splash in the league so far this season, unlike Genoa striker Krzysztof Piatek.
Another strong reason is that the player is primarily an attacking midfielder, a position that is absent in Sarri-ball. Although, with Traore also able to play out wide, he could be brought in to be an option on the wing or even a False Nine like Hazard.
The 18-year-old is yet to score in Serie A so far, with the 2018-19 campaign seeing him appear 14 times for Empoli. In fact, Traore is yet to contribute to a goal on the senior level for his club. But, his work rate has seen him being nicknamed ‘The Machine’, which might be why Sarri is interested in adding him to his Chelsea squad.
Even though there is talk of Traore being used in attack, he could also be an alternative to N’Golo Kante, who has been unable to replicate his usual level of football on the field under Sarri with consistency. Traore could provide the added attacking impetus which Kante lacks and could cover as much ground as the Chelsea star.
The player is valued at £15 million by Empoli. The fee is not the problem for Chelsea. But, the likes of Juventus and Inter Milan might prove to be stiff competition for the Premier League giants. Hamed Traore might be a January arrival, depending on circumstances. But, he will not be the one to solve Chelsea’s issues upfront.
