Timo Werner’s imminent arrival at Chelsea is a cause for celebration for Frank Lampard.
The Blues are fourth in the Premier League, yet the manager has often been left frustrated this season by their shortcomings in front of goal.
Despite scoring 51 league goals this season - including four in their last outing against Everton - Lampard knows Chelsea need more up front, particularly having seen his side lose nine times already over the course of the campaign.
Speaking after Chelsea’s 2-0 home defeat by Manchester United in February, Lampard lamented: “It is a reality that is getting clearer all the time. We are not getting enough goals in the striker areas.”
The signing of RB Leipzig striker Werner is set to change all that. Chelsea will be better equipped to challenge for top honours with the German in their side.
Werner has 31 goals and 11 assists to his name in all competitions this season, a significant contribution to Leipzig’s position in the top three of the Bundesliga and Champions League quarter-finalists.
He will give Chelsea a different dimension to what they currently have at their disposal.
Tammy Abraham’s 15 goals this term isn’t a bad return given this is his first campaign playing regular Premier League football at Stamford Bridge.
A fine start saw him race to the top of the scoring charts, but since the turn of the year the goals have dried up. Abraham scored just once in seven matches before the suspension of the Premier League football in March.
Operating as more of a traditional number nine, most of Abraham’s goals have come from in and around the six-yard box, with the England internationals trying to find gaps between defenders and pouncing on loose balls.
Similarly, back-up strikers Olivier Giroud and Michy Batshuayi only really work as focal points at the head of the attack. Questions have also been raised over both players’ consistency and their ability to play the role over longer stretches of games.
Werner differs to Chelsea’s existing options through both his versatility and dynamism.
While Abraham is capable of playing off the shoulder of the last defender, it is something that Werner, with his blistering pace, does far more frequently and effectively.
In fact, Werner’s arrival will be a great opportunity for Abraham to learn and improve that aspect of his game.
Werner’s flexibility and tendency to roam in those forward areas means he is also far more likely to draw opposition defenders out of position, freeing up space for team-mates to exploit. The Blues’ existing strikers are more used to holding their position.
In terms of finishing, questions have been raised over both Giroud and Batshuayi who, admittedly with limited opportunities to play their way into form this season, have just three league goals between them.
Finally, Werner’s selflessness and willingness to provide assists for others is likely to see him do more off the ball in order to find space. As well as running in behind, he can collect possession and use it to create opportunities for others.
"I think that assists are one of my strengths,” Werner told the Bundesliga website. “The lads know that when they set me up, I'll happily return the favour.”
