The Winners and Losers of Chelsea’s Timo Werner Acquisition

The shrewd £53million acquisition from RB Leipzig of Timo Werner, nicknamed ‘Turbo’ because of his blistering speed, suggests it could well be another of those good years in the blue section of west London. 

The deal is all but done, with Liverpool standing aside, and Chelsea transfer supremo Marina Granovskaia bringing her skillful negotiating acumen to bear.

Timo has chosen to build up to something new and, with Ajax schemer Hakim Ziyech arriving on July 1, he will give Frank Lampard an intoxicating new dimension to his strike force. However, there are some Losers and Winners within the Chelsea players who might benefit or suffer from this acquisition.

Losers 

Michy Batshuayi

Prior to Lampard’s reign at Chelsea, Batshauyi had always been an inconsistent player and a back-up to big Diego. In recent times the trust in Super Bat had diminished and Timo’s acquisition could well be the end of Batshuayi’s reign at the blue side of London.

Pedro

A caliber of player with lots of experience in Barcelona and under a different coach at Chelsea. Pedro brings versatility to the team’s dimension and his appearance was greatly reduced this season, probably due to his age. 

But, Timo’s deal could prove to dampen any hope of Pedro rejuvenating his chances at Stamford Bridge.   

Willian

The consistency of William’s impact cannot be overemphasized, the dimension and experience he brought to the team of young stars are immeasurable. A dark cloud had always been associated with William’s stay at the London Club over the years. He had received lower playing time and Turbo’s acquisition could prove to be the deciding factor that will cut short his stay in the London Club.

Callum Hudson-Odoi

Hudson Odoi was termed the next big thing in London, that makes Bayern want to splash the cash at any cost to lure him to the Allianz Arena a little more than a year ago, but the West London stood firm to hold on what was taught to be the future of the club.

Today, the potential once seen in CHO has become a faded memory on the minds of the Blues faithful. He’d had limited game time under the tutelage of Frank Lampard and is at the bottom of the manager’s starting pecking order. With the acquisition of Timo, the unused potential of Odoi could finally find a new owner with a season-long log load at a club where he could gain regular playing time.

Christian Pulisic

Hailed as the next big thing after the news of Eden’s departure, the former Dortmund winger had failed to cement his place under Lampard’s watch. He had a season filled with some spark, but has been unavailable due to a series of injuries. The acquisition of Turbo could spell the end of the glorious beginning for the United States-born winger unless he could prove to be available and reliable.

Winners

Hakim Ziyech

With the ex-Ajax man’s inevitable arrival at Chelsea this summer, another statement signing could ease the weight of fans’ expectations on the Morocco-born winger. With Ziyech operating on the right-wing as a creative outlet, a prolific striker in Werner will be expected to be on the receiving end of his creativity and counter-attacks. 

Undoubtedly, the combination of the two could elevate Chelsea’s season into a great one.

Tammy Abraham

Abraham had stood firm in shouldering the weight of striking responsibility for the West London club throughout the season while scoring 13 Premier League goals. 

The Nigerian-born England striker had shown strength in shouldering the striking responsibility as his current goal-haul is pretty decent so far this season and an alternative in Werner is necessary to reduce the burden on a player still under development. 

Werner’s inclusion isn’t a necessity omission of Tammy in the side, as the new prolific striker can deputize for the team on the wing as a wide forward on the left and Timo’s creativity can spell an unforeseen lethal combination for the opposing teams. 

Marcos Alonso

With a slow life under Lampard’s leadership, Alonso is gradually gaining the trust of super Frank as the first choice in his position. The Blue energetic left full-back could see Timo as the perfect ally on the Chelsea left side as it is an area where Werner can occupy. 

Also, he can be on the receiving end on Alonso’s cross should the two form a bond, the partnership could mature when the team attacks from the left side of the pitch.

Mason Mount

The British-born attacking midfielder had been a revelation this season, but his debut season in the top-flight had been hindered with lots of inconsistencies. 

Mason can create more chances than any other inlet player than any other Chelsea’s midfielder. Playing in an attacking role off the frontman, Mason would be hoping to form a strong bond with a striker as prolific as Werner with exquisite touch and panache finishing. 

Mason could further take advantage of Werner’s ability to hold up the ball, better involving himself as an overall attacking threat.