Chelsea have slipped back in their pursuit of a top four place, with a run of just one win in seven games, but Paul Merson believes a deadline day deal can give the Blues the boost theur need
Chelsea have been urged to sign Alexander Isak to guarantee their place in the top four.
The Blues have enjoyed a positive first season under Enzo Maresca’s management. But the January transfer window has co-incided with a concerning downturn in form for Maresca’s men.
They have only won one of their last seven league games, a run that includes defeats to Ipswich Town and Fulham, to slip to sixth in the table, one point outside the top-four and 16 points behind leaders Liverpool.
Isak meanwhile has fired Newcastle to fifth place and to the edge of the Carabao Cup final, scoring 19 goals in 26 games. And Merson is convinced the Swedish star would be the perfect signing for Chelsea.
“We’re talking about the best centre-forward in the league right now in Alexander Isak. His goals and contributions have been mightily impressive. The thing with Isak is that he is consistently good,” Merson told Sportskeeda.
“Some players score 10 goals in 10 games and there would have been two hat-tricks in there. But Isak is someone who scores in every single game and that makes him the best out there. There is no doubt that all the top clubs will want to sign him.
“With Financial Fair Play (FFP) also coming into the picture, it will be interesting to see if Newcastle can hold on to him. If Arsenal signed Isak, I would be shocked if they don’t end up winning the Premier League. The same goes for Chelsea, it will seal that top four place and take them to the next level!”
HAVE YOUR SAY! Should Chelsea move for Alexander Isak? Comment below.
Merson had tipped Isak to join Arsenal at the start of the window. That drew short shrift from Magpies boss Eddie Howe, who urged his star striker to ignore the talk around his future.
“I think it comes with the territory now to be honest. Maybe in my very early days that would have maybe left more of an impression, those comments. but I think when you’re in the position I’m in now you sort of ignore it and it’s irrelevant,” Howe said.
“There will be so much talk, noise and rumour and you can’t control it all, you can’t even begin to try, so you just have to ignore it and focus on the facts I think. Our players are loved by us, wanted by us and we’ve got massive games to come.
“We need them to perform so their focus can only be on what they’re delivering in the here and now. We can only control what we can control but I don’t see that being an issue for us, especially in this window.
“We’re very focused and the players are very focused on having a great season and that’s all that concerns us at the moment. It’s a hard enough league as it is to be consistently successful but we certainly need our best players here.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Learn more
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £192 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
