Pat Nevin urges Chelsea to replace first-team ace with 17-goal Premier League star

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·26 February 2026

Pat Nevin urges Chelsea to replace first-team ace with 17-goal Premier League star

Chelsea have been urged to make a move for a quality striker like Igor Thiago.

They invested in Liam Delap and Joao Pedro at the start of the season. However, Delap has been underwhelming, scoring only one Premier League goal this season.

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Chelsea has been told to bring in a quality alternative, and it remains to be seen whether they decide to make a move for Brentford Striker. Thiago has been in exceptional form this season. The 24-year-old Brazilian is the second top scorer in the Premier League with 17 goals.

Former Chelsea star Pat Nevin believes that the Blues should look to bring in a Premier League-proven striker, and the Brazilian would be ideal. He has shown his quality in the English top-flight, and he will be able to make an immediate impact in the Premier League as well.

He said via TEAMtalk: “In actual fact, how many in the world can you look at and say, right, he’s a stick-on to get 15 or 20 a season, and you’re young and you’re coming through? It just doesn’t exist, really. So it’s a tough one for them, but they’ll keep trying. “Given the route they’re trying just now – if there was one that was closest, it would probably be Igor Thiago. Because you look at that and think, right, okay, you’re scoring in the Premier League, and you are only 24. “A lot of the problem with a lot of the other players that you get — and this isn’t just Chelsea, by the way. This seriously isn’t just Chelsea. This is Manchester United as well. They look around and think, yes, they scored a lot of goals in Germany or Italy. That’s different. That’s totally different; it doesn’t always translate. “So somebody who is currently doing it in the Premier League, maybe he’s the one.”

There is no doubt that Delap has been underwhelming, and Chelsea need a better striker if they want to fight for major trophies. It will be interesting to see if they can sign the Brazilian in the summer. The opportunity to join Chelsea will be exciting for the Brentford star.

He has been outstanding in the Premier League, and he is likely to cost a lot of money. It remains to be seen whether Chelsea is prepared to break the Bank for him.