As the Bundesliga season draws to a close, the final league positions have begun to be settled. Bayern Munich have clinched the league title for an eighth consecutive season. Borussia Dortmund, meanwhile, secured second place in the league by beating RB Leipzig 2-0. Erling Håland continued his blistering run of form by scoring both of Dortmund's goals. Leipzig simply had no answer for the young Norwegian whose legend is growing with every match.
During the build-up to this match, much of the focus had been centred on Timo Werner. Leipzig's German centre-forward had just confirmed that he will sign for Chelsea on July 1, 2020. The Blues paid €53 million to land Werner. Given the likely trajectory of Werner's career over the coming years, this could potentially be an absolute bargain for the London club.
Werner's departure and all the talk surrounding it might have been a distraction to Die Bullen. All their players, Werner included, played well below the level at which they are capable of playing. Thus, it was no surprise to see them go down tamely to their opponents.
After four excellent seasons in Saxony, it is no surprise to see the Stuttgart-born player leave the club. Now, it must be mentioned that Leipzig are one of the best-run clubs in the Bundesliga. Their front office and scouting department have done superbly over the past few years. As a result of their efforts, Leipzig is by no means a team devoid of talent; it is one of the most balanced and well-rounded teams in European football today.
Nevertheless, there are several obvious reasons why a rising star like Werner would leave Leipzig for Chelsea. Probably the most important of these is, of course, the money. Owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, Chelsea can afford to pay Werner a far higher salary than any he could ever have earned in Saxony.
It is also easier for Werner to build his personal brand as a Chelsea player than it would be if he were to remain at Leipzig. Although Leipzig have been on the rise in recent years while Chelsea have been stuck in a rut largely due to Abramovich's incompetence as an owner, the fact remains that Chelsea have much, much more cultural cache than do Leipzig. The two clubs are, quite frankly, not even in the same universe when it comes to public recognition and branding.
By moving to Stamford Bridge, Werner also increases his chances of winning the Champions League. At present, if the current Chelsea and Leipzig squads were to face off in a 10-match series, the German club would probably win seven or eight of them. However, Chelsea are set up beautifully for the future. Werner will form part of a formidable core which will also include fellow young star Christian Pulisic as well as the player who I believe is world's best defensive midfielder: N'Golo Kanté. To make things even more interesting, Werner is still just 24 years old while Pulisic is 21. Even after Kanté ages and declines, Werner and Pulisic will be likely to form one of the most lethal duos in world football, especially once both reach their prime years. They will also be surrounded by other capable supporting pieces of similar ages such as Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori, and Tammy Abraham.
If (and this is a very big if indeed) Abramovich does not fail to build around his new core the same way he failed to build around former Chelsea superstar Eden Hazard, there is a real possibility that within the next few years, one or perhaps more Champions League titles might be coming Chelsea's way. Having said that, Abramovich's track record in this area has generally been abysmal; thus, the next few years could also easily be barren. In either case, these are exciting times to be a Chelsea fan.
That being said, this also isn't a total loss for Leipzig. The money they received is certainly substantial. They can use it to bolster their Champions League and Bundesliga campaigns next season if they spend it wisely - something which they have often done in recent times. There are several solid centre-forward in the market right now who could be signed to replace Werner.
Regardless, Chelsea will be more pleased with this transfer than will Leipzig. It's not every day that a club gets to sign a potential future Ballon d'Or winner. Chelsea now have two.
No comments:
Post a Comment