Enzo Maresca has assessed his in-tray at Chelsea and he wants to sign a striker as one of his first pieces of business with the Blues.
It remains to be seen what formation the Italian will look to implement at his new club, having used a 4-3-3 regularly at Leicester as he secured the Foxes’ return to the Premier League.
Last season, Nicolas Jackson was the Blues’ top scoring striker, netting 17 goals in 44 games in his debut season after joining from Villarreal, taking time to settle on the back of his £32m move but eventually hitting form.
Behind him, however, there is little depth. Christopher Nkunku can play the role, but is a different style of forward and managed just 14 appearances in an injury-hit season. Armando Broja and David Datro Fofana appear to be a way off making the cut, and Romelu Lukaku’s future undoubtedly lies away from Stamford Bridge.
With the Blues looking to invest in forward areas, they have turned their attentions to Samu Omorodion, a 6ft 4ins Spain U21 international who only joined Atletico Madrid last summer.
They face competition to secure his services, however. The 20-year old has also been the subject of enquiries from West Ham and Nottingham Forest this window after impressing on a loan spell at Alaves last season, despite only scoring eight goals in 35 league games, which made him their top scorer in La Liga.
Omorodion recently switched agents with his family taking on more responsibility for his management, and is a man in demand with Roma, AC Milan and Napoli also expressing interest in his services.
Atletico, however, are reluctant to sell cheaply. The money is there, though – with the Blues also monitoring Jhon Duran of Aston Villa and could be set to pay £40million for the Colombian, while Dominic Solanke has also been on their radar.
Omorodion was born to Nigerian parents, moving to Seville from Melilla at a young age. ‘I don’t think about Nigeria,’ he recently said of a potential call-up to the national side. ‘My goal is to debut with the senior side and have my career in Spain. Spain has given me the opportunity and I am very grateful for it.’
He played for Sevilla and Nervion at youth level, before joining up with Grenada in 2021 making his debut for the reserve team in March the following year at the age of 17.
The forward, strong with both feet though a little raw when it comes to his finishing, secured a new contract in 2023, renewing his deal until 2028, and made his debut at the start of last season, scoring against Atletico in a 3-1 loss.
A week later, he would join that very side, penning a five-year contract and joining Alaves days later. He scored eight goals with the club, taking his total to nine in his debut season.
‘I played against them on a Monday and on Tuesday they told me that they wanted me and the next week everything was closed. It was very fast,’ he told AS. ‘They told me and I didn’t believe it. But if it happened like that it’s because it had to happen. I was quite calm because I knew it was a unique opportunity.’
When it comes to international football, he has featured for Spain at Under-19 level, first called up in April 2023, going onto play in the 2023 U-19 Euros, where his side lost in the semi-finals.
He is now a regular with the Under-21s and will have his sights set on the senior team. With Luis De la Fuente bringing youth through – the likes of Pedri, Gavi and Lamine Yamal – the opportuntiy is there if he can prove his value.
A potential deal has become more complicated by reports of Atletico’s supposed interest in Jackson. TalkSPORT have claimed that the club will reject any offers for the forward, but Jackson is said to be one of the players at Stamford Bridge disgruntled by Mauricio Pochettino’s departure at the end of the season after just one year in charge.
A potential swap deal could be on the cards, though, if Omorodion is to command a heavy fee, Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali may have to reach deep into their wallets once again. Reports have suggested that a £34m bid has already been rejected.
‘You can see him evolving in the games we’ve followed involving Alaves,’ Diego Simeone, Atletico manager, said of the forward last season. ‘He’s a young guy, strong, with a lot of speed in long spaces and very good play in the box with his body.
‘Let’s hope he does well at Alaves, because he has a future with Atletico. He spent only a few days with us but he looks humble and hardworking. He will be an important player.’
Omorodion’s mother, meanwhile, told Estadio Deportivo earlier this year: ‘There were times when there was no money. There was no money to pay for the bus and Samuel had to walk back [from training]. I was here for waiting all night and sometimes Samuel arrived at 12 in the morning.
‘My son told me to stop working and I told him that my contract had not yet finished, that my boss was on vacation and that until he returned I couldn’t leave.’
Humble beginnings have turned to shooting for the starts for Omorodion. A potential move to the five-time Premier League winners on what one assumes would be a sizeable wage would almost feel like culmination of his journey.
So time will tell if Omorodion is the latest striker that Chelsea try sound out as their potential replacement for Diego Costa, the man who left the club seven years ago. Alvaro Morata, Olivier Giroud, Tammy Abraham, Gonzalo Higuain, Timo Werner, Joao Felix and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have tried. A youngster from Mellia could be the answer.
A poll on X (formerly Twitter) from a Chelsea fan page asked followers whether they would be keen for Omorodion to sign, and 76.7 per cent of over 12,000 voters picked no.
‘Absolutely not,’ one fan replied. ‘What is with this downgrade?’ another questioned.
According to reports, Madrid will look to tie Omorodion down to a new contract with a £100m release clause. Any deal after that would certainly rise eyebrows, but would be an apt summary of the reign of Boehly and Eghbali.
