Three reasons why Chelsea should sign Ollie Watkins instead of Dusan Vlahovic

Who should be Joao Pedro’s deputy next season, Folarin Balogun or someone else?

The AS Monaco striker is being linked to Chelsea after impressing at the World Cup 🇺🇸

Watkins and Vlahovic are both proven No.9s, but bringing the former to Stamford Bridge would make much more sense, and here is why:

Premier League experience

Watkins has been playing in the Premier League for the past six years and is easily one of the best centre-forwards in the division.

In total, the 30-year-old has made 221 appearances and scored 91 goals. By the end of the 2026/27 campaign, he should be part of the 100 club.

According to CaughtOffside, Vlahovic is Chelsea’s priority if they do plan to bring in a new striker, whereas Watkins is just an option. However, his familiarity with the English top flight is reason alone for the Blues to pick him over Vlahovic.

Better injury record

Watkins has a very good injury record at Villa and barely misses games for them. Last term, the Englishman was only unavailable for a single Premier League fixture.

In contrast, Vlahovic suffered with injuries at Juventus. In his final season in Turin, he was only able to make 19 appearances in Serie A.

As Chelsea continue to discuss Watkins and Vlahovic, that is obviously something that the club cannot ignore.

Lower wages

Chelsea may be able to get Vlahovic on a free transfer, but his wages are going to be huge, partly because of that.

With no transfer fee being paid, Vlahovic will no doubt ask for a massive salary. That seemed to be the issue at Juventus regarding his renewal, hence now being a free agent.

Watkins’ wages should be much lower than whatever Vlahovic requests, giving Chelsea yet another reason to select him over the Serbian.