30 September 2023 , 16:21
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Juventus' sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli has rubbed salt into goal-shy Chelsea's wounds by detailing how the Blues could have landed transfer target over the summer.
Chelsea have gone three Premier League games without a goal, dropping down the Premier League table as a consequence. New attacking recruits have failed to boost their firepower, with Christopher Nkunku suffering a long-term injury in pre-season and Nicolas Jackson scoring just one league goal.
Vlahovic was another man linked with Mauricio Pochettio's side over the summer, with discussions over a swap deal involving Romelu Lukaku falling flat. The Serbian's four goals in six Serie A games this term have brought the transfer discussions back into focus, reminding Chelsea that they spent big on midfielders rther than adding a new striker to their ranks.
“There was an offer from Chelsea for Vlahovic," Giuntoli told La Repubblica (via Football Italia ). "We didn’t want to sell Dusan, but given certain numbers we would have accepted.
"Chelsea never reached that figure, and the exchange [with Lukaku] never took place," he added. Lukaku instead moved on loan to Roma, reuniting him with former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho after the pair briefly spent time together in West London.
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Vlahovic's four Juve goals came in the Bianconeri's first four games of the season, helping Max Allegri's team sit third in the Serie A table. Chelsea only have five goals in total after their opening six matches.
Did Chelsea miss a trick by not signing Dusan Vlahovic? Have your say in the comments section
Dusan Vlahovic has four goals in six Serie A games this season (Alberto Gandolfo/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock)Rather than investing in an established striker after Nkunku's injury, Chelsea splashed out on two midfielders with two goals between them in the Premier League. While Moises Caicedo has featured regularly, Romeo Lavia is still recovering from the injury which has delayed his Premier League debut.
The Blues did strengthen further forward, with attacking midfielder Cole Palmer and striker Deivid Washington coming in. Both are still young, though, and the latter has yet to make it onto the pitch for his new club.
Pochettino said the club has "a few options" to play without a recognised striker against Fulham on Sunday. Jackson will miss the game through suspension, having picked up five yellow cards in his first six Premier League outings.
'The most important thing is to adapt to the squad and players that are available, and to try to find a way to perform," Pochettino told reporters in his pre-match press conference. "That is the most important thing. Maybe there are different characteristics we can use.
'We can play with one striker or maybe we can play without a striker, with another second-line player or an offensive midfielder. But there are still a few days and I need to think and assess all the squad to take the best decision.'"