Pundit Paul Merson has explained why he ‘cannot believe’ Chelsea have not battled Tottenham Hotspur in the race to sign Eberechi Eze.
The England international is closing in on a move to Spurs, with a report on Tuesday afternoon revealing that an ‘agreement’ has been reached with Crystal Palace over a £60m fee.
Eze has emerged as one of the most exciting attacking midfielders in the Premier League as he grabbed 25 goal involvements in all competitions last season.
Spurs moved to the front of the queue to sign Eze after Arsenal decided against stepping up their interest, while Chelsea have only been loosely linked with the 27-year-old.
Merson is baffled at Chelsea deciding against pursuing Eze as they ‘need more than Palmer’.
‘I cannot believe Chelsea aren’t going for Eberechi Eze. I really don’t know what I am missing,’ Merson wrote in his Sky Sports column.
‘They buy winger after winger, but they need guile. They need more than Palmer.
‘If you get Eze, you then have two players who can break teams down.
‘They are predictable for me. They play with two quick wingers with Palmer trying to feed them.’
Merson has also explained why Chelsea’s opening day draw against Crystal Palace ‘was worrying’.
‘Chelsea were not good against Crystal Palace. The draw was worrying,’ Merson added.
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‘If Cole Palmer isn’t going to break a team down, I’m not sure who is for Chelsea.
‘Palmer is now the talk of the town in team talks up against Chelsea. Teams are trying to stop him because they think stop him, stop Chelsea. Stop Cole Palmer will be the message for West Ham on Friday. That’s just how it is.
‘He needs some support. If opposition teams pick him up and mark him well, I’m not sure what threat Chelsea have. Pedro Neto and Jamie Gittens have pace, but they struggled to beat their defenders on Sunday.’
He added: ‘It’s hard for Palmer. You’ve got have runners around when you get the ball and for me, he hasn’t got those.
‘It’s not just all on Palmer because Enzo Maresca has to come up with solutions too. He has to work out a way to get him the ball in areas where he can hurt teams. But for Palmer, patience is key. He has to wait for the ball a bit more instead of dropping deep to come and get it.
‘You cannot hurt anybody on the halfway line. He needs the ball in and around the box where he’s special.’