Atletico ace among 3 strikers who could change Chelsea fortunes

Having overseen draws in both of his first two games back in charge, Chelsea manager Gus Hiddink Hiddink will be under no illusion that the squad he has inherited is in need of more bite up front.

Although Diego Costa bagged a brace for the Dutchman in a 2-2 draw against Watford at the Bridge, the Spaniard’s suspension for the following Premier League assignment showed how bare the cupboards are in terms of backup for the controversial striker.

With loan flop Radamel Falcao unfit and out of favour since October and peripheral figure Loic Remy unavailable through injury, Hiddink played without a recognised centre-forward at Old Trafford as the Blues ground out a 0-0.

If Chelsea are to have any hope of scaling the table and securing some form of European football next season (unless they win the Champions League), then January recruitment feels imperative.

Here are three players linked with Chelsea in the recent gossip columns who could provide that spark, in order of likeliness they can attain them.

Jackson Martinez – Aletico Madrid

The athletic Colombian was linked with a move to Arsenal for the longest time only to swerve the Gunners in favour of Atletico Madrid this summer. However a return of just two goals and failure to nail down a starting spot at the Vicente Calderon has led to the former Porto hotshot’s agent making noises about Chelsea interest.

Bojan Krkic – Stoke

A key component of arguably the Premier League’s most exciting and cohesive attack right now, Potters fans will scoff at speculation linking Bojan with a move away mid season. Despite his importance to Mark Hughes’ side, though, it wouldn’t be out of character for Chelsea to flex the kind of financial muscle which can prove decisive.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Borussia Dortmund’s scorer has been linked with just about every top Premier League outfit, as well as Real Madrid this season and it is not hard to fathom why. The Gabon international has been scoring for fun in Germany, clocking up 18 Bundesliga goals in 17 appearances this season. The price tag would clearly be enormous for Dortmund to part company with the 26-year-old as a result.

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