Chelsea Transfer Rumors 2018: Blues Interested in Stoke City Striker Peter Crouch

By Noriel See, Christian Post Contributor Saturday, January 20, 2018

Chelsea seem desperate to sign a striker as Álvaro Morata and Michy Batshuayi continue to struggle.

The Blues had to back away from a deal to sign West Ham United's Andy Carroll after he injured his ankle, but it didn't take them long to line up another potential transfer target.

According to the Telegraph, Chelsea have now turned their attention to Peter Crouch and they have reportedly made contact with Stoke City. But nothing is imminent at the moment.

Well, the Blues are definitely looking for a tall striker. That much is clear now. Carroll is six-foot-four, but Crouch is even taller at six-foot-seven. Both are old-fashioned target men who are good on the air and can head in a few goals. However, they are not exactly known for their technical ability and skill on the ground.

Chelsea fans were not exactly thrilled when they heard the news. They would rather see their club pursue someone like Roma striker Edin Džeko (also six-foot-four), but former England midfielder Jermaine Jenas seemed to like the move for Crouch.

"People will be saying, 'Look, he's 36 years old... ' but it's looking like it will be a year-and-a-half deal... maybe a year, I don't know," Jenas said during an appearance on BBC Radio 5 Live, via JOE.co.uk.

"It's a no-brainer, really, in terms of the money Chelsea will have to pay for him, what the wages will be and what he'll bring to the table... as a second option, by the way. Yeah, I can understand why that deal could get done," he added.

Still, Blues fans can't be happy with this. While league rivals like Manchester United and Arsenal are going after world-class goal scorers like Alexis Sánchez and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte seems to be targeting a striker whose style is not suited for the modern game.