Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has given his verdict on whether he expects a new striker to arrive at Stamford Bridge during the summer transfer window.
With 11 matches of the Premier League season remaining, the Blues find themselves in fifth position in the table, a place that would have been deemed acceptable prior to the start of the campaign.
However, despite Tuesday's 4-0 victory over Southampton, Chelsea have struggled for wins and goals since the turn of the year, placing emphasis on their failure to add a new striker to their ranks in January.
At a time when Mykhaylo Mudryk is serving a provisional ban for a failed drugs test and Joao Felix was loaned to AC Milan, club officials failed to sign alternatives in the winter transfer window.
Since then, both Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu have sustained injuries that are expected to keep them sidelined until after the March international break, Christopher Nkunku having not made a sustained impact as a number nine in their places.
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Will Chelsea sign a striker in the summer?
Speaking at the Financial Times' Business of Football Summit in London on Thursday evening, Boehly was quizzed on a range of subjects, including why Chelsea have not got deals over the line for a new number nine.
In response, Boehly insisted that it was a complex process, as well as emphasising that Chelsea's hierarchy plan to keep to their long-term strategy in a bid to move the club up the Premier League standings.
The American said, as quoted by The Athletic: "I think the most misunderstood thing is that we're thinking about it as measured in years and and you've got to think both short and long term.
"But we're focused on the combination of both of them and seeking the best possible way to execute on that. It's a balancing act in order to figure out how to do it.
"Strikers are hard to find, right? You don't go into the grocery store and say, 'I am going to get a striker'. It is an amazing skill set and you have to have the right mentality.
"When you read about the teams that are the dynasties over the years, right, they had superstar captains that really led them and what you're trying to find is, you know, how do I find that superstar captain."
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Do Chelsea need a new number nine?
With Jackson recognised as the standout first choice striker at Chelsea and Guiu signed from Barcelona with the intention of the starlet becoming a mainstay in the squad, there is an argument that Chelsea do not need to act in the summer.
Jackson has nine goals and five assists from his 23 Premier League appearances during 2024-25, despite having not netted since December, while 19-year-old Guiu has six strikes from 13 outings, each of his goals coming in the Conference League.
That said, it is fair to say that an alternative is required for Nkunku, who has shown when deputising for Jackson that he does not bring the same threat to the attack when used as the leading man.
Despite his 14 goals in all competitions, the France international is best used in a support role, a position where he is only understudy to Cole Palmer.
A scenario may arise where Nkunku is sold and the funds generated spent on a more traditional central forward, with Jackson able to be used as backup on the left as well as face more senior competition for his starting spot.
Darren Plant
