Yesterday we wrote about three strikers Chelsea have been linked to, and today we’ve noticed something they all have in common.
After brilliant seasons all around, they’ve all made one of the most impressive stats lists on FBRef – the top 10 players in terms of non-penalty goals minus expected goals.
Alexander Sorloth is top, Serhou Guirassy 7th and Benjamin Sesko 9th.
This stat measures how many goals the players have scored when measured against the quality of chances they had. So in a very basic fashion, it’s a measure of how good they are at finishing. That doesn’t just mean whipping one into the top corner from outside the box, it can also mean just being very efficient with your shots, making sure that a great number of your efforts are goals, no matter where they’re taken from.
Given that Nicolas Jackson’s weak point is his finishing (for all his many other strengths) perhaps this is a natural move for Chelsea to try and buy one of these 3. It certainly makes sense to pair Jackson up with a natural goalscorer, given his ability is more in hold up and link up play. When the Senegal star might freeze, these guys go cold (in a good way).
How to complement what you’ve already got
The two could take turns leading the line, or play together, or Jackson can play wide left in a 3 with the new man up top. All in all it makes good sense, and given all 3 have a release clause, we can really see one of them being the man we eventually turn to this summer, especially if the truly elite options like Victor Osimhen end up being too expensive.
Being on this list isn’t the be all and end all of being a good striker, but it does indicate a certain type of player who could dovetail nicely with what we already have.
