“They are not good enough sell them” – Pundit urges Chelsea to sell these two players after Sterling arrival
Gabriel Agbonlahor predicts that Chelsea will sell Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic.
Former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor suggested that Thomas Tuchel has to sign a proven striker and release Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech because they are “not good enough” in an interview with TalkSport (via Express).
Raheem Sterling, a forward from Manchester City, was signed by Chelsea on Wednesday, but Agbonlahor still thinks Tuchel has to add additional firepower. These remarks come in the wake of Romelu Lukaku’s loan transfer to Inter Milan last month and Chelsea’s subsequent failure to sign a proven striker to fill his spot.
Agbonlahor thinks Tuchel should make finding a new frontman a top priority. He thinks Chelsea is behind teams like Manchester City, Liverpool, and Tottenham Hotspur because they don’t have a top striker. Pulisic and Ziyech are not good enough, he continues, and the Blues will strive to get rid of them.
“Sterling coming in is going to guarantee you goals and assists. But they need that striker, don’t they. Look at Spurs, Manchester City, Liverpool, they’ve all got top strikers now. Ziyech, Pulisic, for me not good enough and they’ll probably try and get rid of them”.
The former Villa player might be right. Timo Werner is the only senior pure striker left on Chelsea’s roster after Lukaku left. Michy Batshuayi and Armando Broja have returned from their loan assignments, but their futures are still up in the air. There is a need for a top-tier striker, and Tuchel is aware of it.
In January 2019, Pulisic transferred from Borussia Dortmund to Chelsea, however he finished the year on loan at Dortmund. Since then, the 23-year-old has been incredibly unreliable in front of goal. Last season, Tuchel used him in a variety of spots, but each produced the same outcome. In 38 games in all competitions, the American international could only manage eight goals and five assists for the Blues.
Since moving to Stamford Bridge, Ziyech has been unable to duplicate his Ajax Amsterdam performance. The Moroccan player joined our team in 2020, but his tenure has been troubled by mishaps and inconsistent play. In 44 appearances in all competitions last season, the 29-year-old managed to score eight goals and provide six assists. The team is in negotiating with AC Milan to loan him to the San Siro.
Agbonlahor has said that Tottenham are now more qualified than Chelsea to compete with City and Liverpool. Although it may be difficult to accept, he might be right if the team doesn’t sign any more players. Hopefully, Tuchel will be aware that the team cannot solely rely on Sterling to score goals for us every single week.
“So they definitely need some more firepower, definitely. Because at the moment I’d say Spurs are probably better suited now to challenge the top two than Chelsea for me.”
? “#CFC need to sign a striker and another winger. They need more firepower!”
? “Pulisic & Ziyech aren’t good enough!”
? “I would say #THFC are better suited to challenge the top two than Chelsea are!”@Ga11Agbon believes Spurs are more likely to win the #PL than Chelsea… pic.twitter.com/zqgISjwQ41
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) July 13, 2022