Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink believes Timo Werner needs time before Chelsea see the very best of him.
Making a big name for himself after scoring for fun at RB Leipzig, the Blues moved quickly in the summer to bring the striker to the club as Frank Lampard looks to strengthen upfront.
With Tammy Abraham starting last campaign very well and Olivier Giroud finishing strongly, the German is seen as the man who can help shoot the club to silverware after a few issues upfront since Diego Costa's exit.
Given a lot of foreign players need time to adapt to the pace and intensity of life in the Premier League, Hasselbaink has claimed that their new striker may need six months, as was the case with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang when he first joined Arsenal, to repeat the form that saw him light up the Bundesliga.
"German football is totally different to the English game so it will be difficult for Werner to settle straight in," the ex-Chelsea striker told GentingBet.
"We know he's a talented player. We know what he can do. And Chelsea need a player that can score goals.
"But, we also need to give him the time. If you look at Aubameyang when he came, he needed six months. So, give him those six months as well."
Although many believe that the 24-year-old will go straight into Lampard's best XI following his transfer, Giroud may have something to say about that after a fine end to the previous campaign.
So, does Hasselbaink believe the Frenchman can compete with Werner for a starting spot?
"Giroud has always been underrated. He is not a striker who is going to score you 25 goals but he is a striker who will make others around him play better," added the Dutchman.
"So, if he's going to be your main striker, you need wide players and midfielders who can score lots of goals and he will bring them in.
"Of late, when Giroud has been playing, the team play a lot better.
"I really like him. He holds the ball up really well, he brings other people in and he scores important goals."
