Despite a promising pre-season and a brilliant opening day game against Liverpool, Chelsea have again subjected their fans to another Premier League season of false dawns and poor performances.
After 15 games, Mauricio Pochettino's side find themselves down in tenth place, eight points behind the much-criticised Manchester United and their injury-stricken London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
What makes this reality all the more painful for fans is that there have been glimpses of brilliance in recent months, and the fact that they are fourth in the expected goals table is proof of that.
If Todd Boehly had bought a prolific striker in the summer, who knows where they could have found themselves now?
Well, as they say, it's better late than never, so Chelsea fans should be excited about the recent rumours linking them to one of the most prolific strikers in Europe this season, Santiago Gimenez.
Although, they will be hoping he's more Robin van Persie than Mateja Kezman.
Chelsea transfer news – Santiago Gimenez
According to Football Transfers last month, Chelsea's primary concern in the winter transfer window is a new number nine, and while they have a list of potential targets, Gimenez has 'garnered admiration from several members of Chelsea's recruitment staff', which could propel him to the top of their wish list.
The Mexican international has been tearing it up in the Netherlands for Feyenoord this season. He has already netted 20 goals and provided three assists in just 19 appearances for the club, meaning he averages 1.05 goal involvements every game.
With numbers such as this, it should not come as a surprise to hear that Feyenoord value their goal-scoring "machine", as described by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, very highly – at £87m, to be exact.
Such a significant investment will likely give Boehly pause for thought, but the prospect of a rival such as Arsenal getting their hands on him might be enough to force them into action.
Fans will just hope his career does not mirror Kezman's in west London.
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ByEmilio GalantiniDec 7, 2023 Santiago Gimenez could succeed where Mateja Kezman failed
Chelsea signed Serbian striker Kezman from Dutch club PSV Eindhoven in the summer of 2004 for a hefty fee – for the time – of around £5m, and to say that he came in with a reputation for scoring goals would be an understatement.
During his time in the Netherlands, the Belgrade-born forward scored a whopping 129 goals in 176 appearances across all competitions, and while people did not necessarily expect him to replicate those numbers for the Blues, they may have expected more than they got.
By the time of his Chelsea departure in the summer of 2005, he had scored just seven goals in 41 Blues appearances and thoroughly underwhelmed on the pitch.
Gimenez
Kezman
47
122
33
105
6
15
0.82
0.98
However, just because Kezman failed doesn't mean that Gimenez will. Dubbed "one of the hottest strikers in Europe" by ESPN journalist Luis Miguel Echegaray, the Buenos Aires-born forward looks to have all of the characteristics a player would need to translate his output in the Netherlands to something similar in England.
According to FBref, which measures players in the next best 14 leagues, the former Cruz Azul man ranks in the top 1% of strikers for non-penalty expected goals and assists, touches in the opposition penalty area, non-penalty goals, and the top 2% for total shots, all per 90.
At the end of the day, the Blues desperately need a clinical striker, and while the visage of Kezman might still haunt some, the upside to Gimenez coming good is massive.
Therefore, Pochettino could rectify the blunder the club had with the former PSV star by signing another striker who could come in and be a success, rather than an underwhelming flop.