Paul Merson believes that Chelsea FC’s expected signing of Timo Werner means that the Blues “are back” and mean business.
Chelsea have not made any signings in the most recent two transfer windows, but they have been widely reported to have concluded a deal to land Werner, 24, from RB Leipzig in recent days.
Chelsea are likely to be keen to make up for lost time in the forthcoming summer transfer window, and they have also secured a deal to land Hakim Ziyech from Ajax ahead of next season.
Now, former Arsenal midfielder Merson has explained why he thinks that Chelsea FC’s reported signing of Werner is a statement of intent from the west London side.
“Signing Timo Werner shows Chelsea are back and I’d be shocked if they don’t win the league in the next four years now,” Merson wrote in his column for the Daily Star.
“It’s a sign of what a great businessman Roman Abramovich is that he’s doing this now, when other clubs are going to be hit hard by the coronavirus. “I think over the last few years he’s looked at it and wondered if there was any point to trying to compete with Manchester City and Liverpool.
“The way things were going it would have cost £400-500m just to get close to them. “But he’s looked at what’s happening financially with the virus and thought: ‘This is the time.’
“He’s a winner. He wants Chelsea to be a threat again. And he’s realised if he spends now, they have a chance to close the gap. I think it’s clever. “Other clubs can’t compete with him while they are losing money because of the virus.”