Chelsea would still like to sign another forward after landing Liam Delap, and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike is high on their shortlist.
Chelsea failed to sign Hugo Ekitike for the Club World Cup, but they will have another opportunity to get a deal done when the transfer window reopens on Monday.
Premier League rivals Liverpool and Manchester United are also interested in the 22-year-old, while Eintracht are demanding a lot of money for his signature.
It means that Chelsea bringing Ekitike in this summer is far from guaranteed, but the Blues do have alternatives to the Frenchman.
Nick Woltemade more clinical than key Chelsea target Hugo Ekitike
One of those alternatives appears to be Stuttgart’s Nick Woltemade, and it has been reported that Chelsea have already approached Woltemade about a potential switch to west London.
If you are a Chelsea fan, Woltemade may not be the most exciting name, especially compared to a high-profile talent like Ekitike. Yet when you look at their numbers, the former was actually the more efficient forward last season.
Woltemade scored 12 goals in the Bundesliga after registering an xG of 11.95. Ekitike, on the other hand, scored 15 goals despite having an xG of 22.55. It means he had a negative xG difference of -7.55.
In simpler terms, he should have finished the campaign with more goals to his name, whereas Woltemade should have actually finished just below his tally based on the quality of chances he had.
Ekitike played significantly more minutes and made more starts as well, yet only managed three more goals than Woltemade.
| Player | League games | Starts | Minutes | Goals | xG | xG difference |
| Hugo Ekitike | 33 | 31 | 2,582 | 15 | 22.55 | -7.55 |
| Nick Woltemade | 28 | 17 | 1,621 | 12 | 11.95 | 0.05 |
Oscar Garcia recently spoke about Ekitike, whom he worked with at Reims, revealing that coaches have had concerns about the France Under-21 international’s character in the past. Ultimately, he is not the finished article just yet.
For how much money Eintracht are demanding for their talisman, you really want the final product. It has been widely reported that Ekitike’s price tag is around the £85m mark.
Woltemade, in contrast, is only going to cost roughly €40m (£34m), according to Sport Witness. Ekitike perhaps has a much higher ceiling than Woltemade, but the German has shown that, at present, he is more efficient in front of goal.
