Forget Benzema & Firmino! Chelsea are targeting the WRONG Saudi Pro League striker

James Shearman

• Updated: 18 Jan 2024 20:21 GMT
• 3 min read

Chelsea are reportedly in the market for a centre forward in the January transfer window.

And, Saudi Pro League stars Karim Benzema and Roberto Firmino have been named as options for Mauricio Pochettino's side.

Benzema only left Real Madrid for Al Ittihad last summer, on the back of another remarkable goalscoring campaign.

The Frenchman scored 30 goals in 42 games in his final season at the Santiago Bernabeu.

However, at 36 years of age, he is on the decline and would only provide a short term solution for the Blues.

Firmino, on the other hand, is four years younger than Benzema, but is not the type of striker that Chelsea need.

The Liverpool legend's game is more about bringing others into play than fashioning out chances for himself.

Which Saudi Pro League striker should Chelsea sign?

The Blues should be looking to sign former Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic from Al Hilal this month.

Mitrovic has been extremely underrated for several years, despite having excelled for Chelsea's west London rivals.

In the 2021-22 season, the Serbian scored a record 43 goals in the Championship for Marco Silva's side.

Then, he put to bed the narrative that he couldn't perform in the Premier League last season, scoring 14 goals in 24 games.

Indeed, his goals per game ratio in the last campaign (0.58) was nearly identical to Ivan Toney's (0.61) - who was deemed to have had a phenomenal year.

Not to mention, Mitrovic would add the feistiness to Chelsea's side that has been missing since Diego Costa departed over six years ago.

The 29-year-old is the type of striker that defenders hate playing against, and that the Stamford Bridge faithful love to see.