Despite some initial hope following an impressive pre-season and opening-day draw with Liverpool, Chelsea are stumbling through a miserable Premier League campaign for the second year on the bounce.

The Blues finished in 12th place last season, and after 16 games this year, they find themselves in precisely the same position, only this time they have Mauricio Pochettino in charge.

The former Tottenham Hotspur manager has struggled to turn his crop of promising youngsters into a clinical team capable of winning the league, but the latest player linked to Stamford Bridge, Ivan Toney, could help him change that.

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The Brentford man could add some much-needed bite to the attack and form a lethal partnership with Cole Palmer, one of the few bright sparks in Chelsea's season.

Chelsea transfer news – Ivan Toney

According to The Guardian, Chelsea are once again set to dip into the transfer market in 2024 as Pochettino eyes a 'top striker' to help give his squad some end product, with Toney being one of the main men on his wishlist.

The Bees forward is still serving his eight-month betting ban but would be available to play again in mid-January, lining up perfectly for him to kick on at a new club.

While there is an element of risk in signing a player who hasn't played football for over half a year, Toney's 20 goals in 33 league appearances last season should go some way in quelling those concerns.

However, the most significant obstacle to this deal's completion is likely to be the price. Sky Sports has reported that Brentford will only sell their star striker should someone match their £100m valuation, which is a huge commitment, even for Todd Boehly and co.

With that said, the prospect of seeing one of the country's most clinical strikers linking up with Palmer should be enough to convince the board.

Ivan Toney could be the dream partner for Cole Palmer

There is no getting away from just how poorly the first third of the season has gone for Chelsea this year. The club are currently closer to the relegation zone than the top four, and were it not for Everton's ten-point deduction, they would be down in 13th place.

However, Palmer's arrival from Manchester City towards the end of the summer window has been the only thing fans can cling onto as the Manchester-born dynamo has already made himself arguably the team's most important player in a matter of months and at just 21 years old.

In his nine Premier League starts for the club, he has scored five goals and provided two assists for his teammates, and it would likely have been more were the players around him as clinical as Chelsea forwards are supposed to be.

When looking at the pair's underlying numbers, it becomes crystal clear that with Toney, dubbed a "monster" by Brentford boss Thomas Frank, leading the line and the "magnificent" Palmer, as described by Alan Shearer, either on the wing or behind, the Blues would be a dramatically more dangerous proposition for opposing teams.

Toney

Palmer

20

5

4

2

0.56

0.54

2.41

7.04

0.61

3.78

2.01

4.47

Both players produce spectacular non-penalty expected goals and assist numbers, while Palmer's progressive passing could practically gift Toney the Golden Boot alone.

Ultimately, it would require another massive investment from the Chelsea board, but with how they have spent in previous transfer windows, they simply must go again and finally secure the striker that can fire the Blues back up the table.