Chelsea can forget about Toney by signing £42m “machine”

It’s been another disappointing season of Premier League football for Chelsea this year, as Mauricio Pochettino has been unable to turn his promising young squad into a cohesive unit.

The Blues have looked out at sea for much of the season, although their expected goal numbers suggest that they should have another seven goals in the bag, indicating that with a clinical forward, they could well climb the table next year.

One striker who has recently been touted for a move to Stamford Bridge is Ivan Toney, but based on even more recent reports, Todd Boehly and Co could be eyeing a younger and more exciting alternative.

Chelsea interest in £42m marksman

According to a recent report from 90min, Chelsea are among several Premier League clubs who have maintained their interest in RB Leipzig’s promising young striker, Benjamin Šeško.

The report has revealed that, alongside the Blues, Manchester United and Arsenal are also keen on bringing the Slovenia international to England in the summer. At the same time, Paris Saint-Germain are also very interested in bringing him to France.

While the number of competing clubs is far from ideal for the West Londoners, the price it would take to secure the forward’s signature certainly is, with his release clause being set at just €50m – £42m – and the report has revealed that Leipzig may be willing to accept less if the final price is close enough.

The report has stated that Chelsea currently view the 20-year-old as a cheaper alternative to Victor Osimhen, and while that’s true, he’d also be a brilliant alternative to Toney.

How Benjamin Šeško compares to Ivan Toney

Now, his age is the first and arguably most important reason why Chelsea should look at signing Šeško over Toney.

By this point, it’s crystal clear that Boehly and Co want to create a team full of promising young talents who can grow and develop together over the coming years.

So, adding a 28-year-old striker into the mix over a 20-year-old seems counterproductive, especially when, on average, centre-forwards tend to peak at around 27 and then steadily decline, per The Athletic.

Aside from the squad-building aspect, there is also a strong case that the former RB Salzburg goal-scoring “machine”, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, is just the better player of the pair.

With Toney missing a significant portion of the season due to his betting-related ban, it would be unfair to compare the pair’s actual output this year. However, as their underlying numbers are calculated per 90, they can be compared for this season, and unfortunately for the Englishman, while he comes out on top in some metrics, he’s a distant second in many others.

For example, according to FBref, the “outstanding” Slovenian, as Kulig described him, produces a higher non-penalty goal and assists figure, takes more shots on target, scores from more of those shots, has better passing accuracy, produces more goal-creating actions, and is more successful in taking on defenders, all per 90.

In defence of the Brentford star, he does win more aerial duels and produce more shot-creating actions, but aside from that, it’s a fairly one-sided comparison.

Ultimately, if Chelsea want to add a new and seriously talented striker to their team, who won’t cost an arm and a leg and should only get better over the next few years, they should sign Šeško and forget all about Toney.