Gabriel Agbonlahor said Chelsea paid the price of not having a “ruthless striker” instead of Kai Havertz in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with West Ham.
Despite controlling 72 percent of the possession at the London Stadium, the Blues only managed two shots more than West Ham throughout the game.
This is clearly part of the problem for Chelsea. They are often too hesitant to pull the trigger in front of the goal.
According to Agbonlahor, this would not have been the case if Chelsea had Harry Kane or Erling Halaand in their team.
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“They’re missing a ruthless striker,” the former England international told talkSPORT after Chelsea’s draw with West Ham.
“Put Harry Kane in that team, put Haaland in that team, imagine the chances they’d score…
“Havertz, for me, is lightweight. He’s a big lad, but gets bullied on the ball. He’s not an out-and-out number nine and is more a number 10.
“[But] they’ve got [Cristopher] Nkunku coming in the summer.”
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Havertz only had one attempted shot in 90 minutes against West Ham, aside from his goal, which was ruled out for offside. To put it into perspective, Benoit Badiashile had two.
Considering how dominant Chelsea were in the first half, one shot attempt is clearly underwhelming from a striker.
Similarly, Alan Shearer, who said he rates Havertz as a player, recently said he also does not see the Germany international as a number nine.
However, while Havertz is not exactly a “ruthless striker”, unlike what Agbonlahor suggests, Nkunku is unlikely to be the answer, too.
The RB Leipzig star, who is expected to join Chelsea in the summer, has already said that he prefers to play as a number 10.
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