West Ham ‘monitoring’ disastrous Chelsea signing, as two other London rivals queue up for striker
Former Chelsea flop Timo Werner is wanted back in London, where West Ham United, Crystal Palace and Fulham are all showing varying degrees of interest.
That’s according to 90min, which has confirmed that RB Leipzig could sanction a mid-season exit for the struggling striker, who has since been in contact with some suitors in the Premier League.
The report claims West Ham have not ruled Werner out as they weigh up a shortlist of striker targets, since Michail Antonio and Danny Ings are both in their thirties.
West Ham might be the most appealing destination for Werner, since they can offer European football thanks to their involvement in the Europa League.
However, Crystal Palace and Fulham are both said to be interested in taking Werner on loan.
The 27-year-old is under contract with RB Leipzig until 2026, but his second spell with the club has not been as productive as his first.
Before joining Chelsea, Werner scored 95 goals in 159 games for RB Leipzig. Since retracing his steps in 2022 after an underwhelming two-year spell in the Premier League, he has only scored 18 goals from 53 appearances.
RB Leipzig’s sporting director Rouven Schroder has opened the door for Werner to leave, recently saying: “We will have players who have something else in mind.
“We will face that. Quite openly, very clearly.
“If someone has the idea that they want to do something different, then we will deal with it.”
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During his stint with Chelsea, Werner scored 23 goals from 89 appearances. He picked up a Champions League winner’s medal along the way.
But the Blues did not get what they paid for from the Germany international, whose misfortune has continued back in his native country and now risks missing out on a place in their squad for Euro 2024.
A move elsewhere – be it temporary or permanent, although the asking price for the latter kind of move remains unclear – could allow him to rekindle some confidence and prove himself again.
It is not yet clear which of his three suitors could be in the lead for his signature, or if anyone else will get involved.
Given that his signing could be viewed as something of a risk, a loan might be the best way for any of his admirers to take him.
Where next for Werner?
Fulham reluctantly sold Aleksandar Mitrovic to Al-Hilal over the summer, bringing in Raul Jimenez from Wolves as a short-term replacement.
However, no player has yet scored more than two goals this season for Marco Silva’s side, who have the worst goals-for record of any Premier League side not in the bottom three.
Palace, for their part, do have a goalscorer in decent form in the shape of Odsonne Edouard, while Jean-Philippe Mateta is among their ranks too.
Roy Hodgson’s side may have a slightly lesser need for someone like Werner, then, but are still a suitor to keep an eye on.
Werner has scored two goals from 13 appearances across all competitions so far this season.
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