MICHAEL OWEN WARNS ARSENAL AND MAN UTD TO AVOID SIGNING CHELSEA FLOP

Michael Owen has warned Arsenal and Manchester United against signing former Chelsea striker Timo Werner in the January transfer window.

Erik ten Hag is keen to strengthen his forward line when the transfer window reopens with a view to view to recruiting a striker who can ease the burden on Rasumus Hojlund.

The £72million summer recruit from Atalanta has impressed in Europe where he has scored five times already, but is yet to break his duck in the Premier League.

Anthony Martial returned to the starting line-up against Everton earlier this month and scored his first top flight goal since May, but has been unable to build on that performance.

Werner, meanwhile, proved a divisive figure during his two years at Stamford Bridge where his wayward finishing eventually saw Chelsea run out of patience with him.

The Germany international rejoined RB Leipzig almost 18 months ago but has scored only twice in 13 appearances this season and faces an uphill battle to retain his place in Julian Nagelsmann’s squad ahead of next summer’s European Championships.

And, despite United’s pressing need for a new striker, Owen believes there are better options on the market than a player who has been linked with a move to Old Trafford.

‘Timo Werner had a good record and he scored a lot of goals before he came to the Premier League,’ Owen told Boylesports.

‌’Chelsea’s number nine shirt has been a difficult one to fill for many years now. Didier Drogba was incredible, but the club has tried and failed with some unbelievably big names.

‘Think about how much money they’ve spent and the names they’ve had. It’s been a hard position to fill, and I wouldn’t just point at Werner, as there were another dozen players who struggled over the last decade!

‌’We’re quite good at tarnishing someone with one brush. Werner has clearly scored a lot of goals, but the big question I’d have is thinking about one player who’d come to Man United and perform really well. I said the same thing while standing on the touchline at Old Trafford a few years ago.

‘I don’t think it’s about the players at the moment. They’ve got to find some way of playing!’

Arsenal, too, are said to be considering bolstering their striking department but, again, Owen believes the Gunners have progressed to a level whereby they should be shopping at the very top end of the market.

He added: ‘With all due respect, I think that Arsenal need to look at some of the best strikers in the world if they’re serious about truly competing for the Premier League and Champions League. You need the best three of four strikers in the world to win those games, and I wouldn’t put Timo in that category.’

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2023-12-07T15:09:25Z dg43tfdfdgfd