Gonzalo Higuain to Chelsea is an ideal short-term solution

Chelsea’s rumoured loan deal for Gonzalo Higuain will address a key issue in the team.

Maurizio Sarri has been able to implement his style of play that was so good to watch at Napoli, but the results have been lacking to some extent as they’re 10 points off Liverpool and currently sit in fourth place behind city rivals Tottenham. The main issue with the team is clearly in the striker department, as neither Alvaro Morata or Olivier Giroud have been up to the required standard this season.

According to Sky Sports, Chelsea have agreed to loan Gonzalo Higuain from Juventus for the rest of the season with an option to extend it for another 12 months. Morata is rumored to be leaving, so he essentially replaces him for the second half of the season as the Blues look to bring in a reliable center-forward to fire them up the table.

Eden Hazard is the top goalscorer for the team — a worry considering he is their chief creative player and the dependence on him in the final third is staggeringly high. Morata is the second highest goalscorer with nine goals in 1498 minutes, and Giroud has only contributed five goals in 1018 minutes. They also have Tammy Abraham out on loan at Aston Villa, but recalling him and making him first choice striker would be a bold and highly unlikely move.

Higuain has definitely started to decline over the last few seasons and his spell at Milan has been far from impressive with only eight goals in 1861 minutes in all competitions. He has underperformed in front of goal with six goals from 7.02 xG in the league, per Understat. However, Chelsea are a much more complete team than Milan, who are still a work in progress.

The main criticism of Higuain would be his age, as he’s the wrong side of 30 and already in decline. Therefore, a loan is the perfect solution. Chelsea won’t have the problem of moving him on or trying to recoup a transfer fee and they can bring in a younger option in the summer. Bringing in a long-term replacement in January is tough as teams are unwilling to sell unless they get large fees which don’t represent the value of the player.

Higuain also has experience of Sarri’s methods from his time at Napoli where he set the record for most goals in a Serie A season with 36, although Chelsea are highly unlikely to see that kind of form. Having a prior understanding of the requirements Sarri has for the role could also ease his adjustment to a new league.

The Argentine provides a short-term fix for a problem position and with Hazard, he has the ideal player to provide him with chances in dangerous positions. Hazard is the best dribbler in the league and is an expert at unlocking defenses so he naturally attracts a lot of attention and teams set up to deal with him, which should provide Higuain plenty of space to work in from which he can show his clinical edge.