Chelsea's 6-2 thrashing over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League last weekend has offered a flash of the future under Enzo Maresca, with this team carrying the trappings of a world-class attack.
It's not there yet, but with Cole Palmer (who is most certainly world-class) now bolstered by fresh arrivals Pedro Neto and Joao Felix, as well as rising talents Nicolas Jackson and hat-trick hero Noni Madueke, there's reason to get excited.
Chelsea have spent lucratively this summer but so too have they cashed in on a wealth of players, and there's room for one more addition, at the front of the ship.
Chelsea eyeing new centre-forward
There has been a long-standing interest in Napoli striker Victor Osimhen at Stamford Bridge but the pointers suggest that he is headed toward the Gulf to sign for Al Ahli.
Ivan Toney has also been on Chelsea's radar, and while he too has been mooted for a move to Saudi Arabia, the Brentford centre-forward is rumoured to be the subject of revised interest as we trundle toward deadline day.
Toney is a top striker, Prem-proven, but with an incredible financial package tempting him toward Saudi Arabia, the Blues would be wise not to put all of their eggs in one basket.
As such, Chelsea are seeking out alternatives, with transfer guru Fabrizio Romano saying to "keep an eye" on the Londoners' striker situation, then revealing that Jhon Duran is still on the radar.
The Colombian, aged 20, was on the verge of signing for Maresca's side earlier this summer, but the £40m transfer unravelled following obstacles relating to wage demands and his capricious nature.
Why Jhon Duran could be an excellent signing
Duran signed for Aston Villa from Major Soccer League side Chicago Rapids for an £18m fee in January 2023, and he's still only started three Premier League fixtures.
Despite that caveat, he's evidently one of the most talented young strikers on English shores – perhaps even across the continent. Described as a "nightmare for defenders" by Villa captain John McGinn, Duran has the power and pace to send a frisson of fear through the meanest of backlines.
A maverick, he brings a chaotic element to the pitch that would make him the perfect signing for a team like Chelsea, blessed with plenty of attacking talent but yet to refine itself to the level anticipated.
Duran, in this way, would knit into the club's fabric and become an intrinsic part of the growth, battling against Jackson and co for a place in the starting line-up and completing the summer spending with a flourish.
After all, as per FBref, he ranks among the top 2% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals scored (0.88) and the top 9% for shots taken (3.86) per 90, suggesting that he has outperformed his expected level of scoring.
Matches (starts)
23 (3)
Goals
5
Assists
0
Shots (on target)*
0.9 (0.3)
Big chances missed
1
Touches*
9.4
Pass completion
71%
Total duels won*
1.6
Oh, he is indeed. Let's take a look at that metric, shall we? Duran ranks among the bottom 40% for xG (0.35) per 90, which translates to the expected goals scored from the shots that he has taken. Duran is eclipsing that statistic, speaking of his absurd clinical ability.
His movement and athletic acumen will only add to Chelsea's first team and might even prove to add that extra dimension to ensure that a spot in the Champions League is reclaimed and silverware is brought back to west London.
Imagine Jhon Duran & Noni Madueke
It's only been three years since Chelsea defeated Manchester City in the Champions League final, but plenty has changed since then.
Ben Chilwell and Reece James are the only first-teamers (barring Kepa Arrizabalaga, who is moving to Bournemouth on loan) still on the books, but after a period of tumult, rising stars such as Madueke look set to play a part in a fruitful future.
Madueke's resounding hat-trick in Wolverhampton on Sunday highlighted the level of talent that the 22-year-old possesses, having signed from PSV Eindhoven in a £29m deal in January 2023, only now starting to grow into his skin.
The right-sided attacker ranks among the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 3% for progressive carries and the top 10% for successful take-ons per 90.
Sure, he's shaping into quite the clinical winger, netting against Servette in the Europa League last Thursday before his three-strike performance at Molineux, but Madueke also offers a range of underlying qualities that would mark him as a dream partner for a player like Duran.
He finished the 2023/24 season, under the guidance of Mauricio Pochettino, very well indeed, and is now showing signs of sustaining that natural quality.
Duran would enter the fold in west London with the security of a healthy mix of support around him, taking particular benefit from Madueke's ability to drive forward and thread the play together while maintaining his own frightening goal threat,
His sharp passing would allow Duran to dart through the lines and latch onto his threaded deliveries with consistency, all the while returning the favour and creating a wonderful sense of dynamism.
Sure, Chelsea need to enforce several outgoings before the transfer window's over, but this could be an excellent deal to enrich the youthful sheen to Maresca's unit, showing promising signs of going from strength to strength.
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1 ByAngus Sinclair