The striker Chelsea should look to amidst lazy target man search

While Antonio Conte refuses to be drawn into such rumours and talk directly about players at other clubs, it has been widely reported that he is in the hunt for a target man to bolster his attacking options.

Having failed to bring in Fernando Llorente in the summer, who instead headed to Tottenham despite having worked with the Chelsea boss at Juventus, it appears the Italian’s desire to sign a big centre forward is still very much alive.

So much so that the Londoners, who are struggling for goals of late, have been linked to the likes of both Andy Carroll and Peter Crouch this month. The former England duo are perhaps the two players one would immediately think of in the Premier League when asked to name target men, though that shouldn’t be enough to make either a suitable target.

The former has had consistent injury problems over the course of his career and hasn’t started more than 15 league games in a season in five years while the latter will turn 37 at the end of the month.

The horrifically out of form Christian Benteke is the latest player to have been linked after Edin Dzeko - a more fitting target - ruled out a return to the Premier League.

However, if it’s a tall, traditional number nine that Chelsea are after - and they clearly are - even just to be able to throw on late in games when chasing a goal, few are quite as prolific as Dutch international Bas Dost.

At 6’5” he is an imposing figure to have to try and defend against and while limited in general play, the 28-year-old has achieved remarkable figures in front of goal during his time in Liga NOS with Sporting.

A beanpole of a man, though not to the Peter Crouch extreme, Dost uses his rangy frame to good effect in the box, both in the air and on the deck.

His record in Portugal equates to more than a goal a game having struck 53 times in just 49 appearances, including 19 in 18 this season, and his most recent purple patch shouldn’t have gone unnoticed by the Blues. Indeed, with ten goals in his last six appearances the Dutchman is among the in form strikers on the continent.

Of said goals since the start of last season, Dost has scored 19 with his head, and his WhoScored.com characteristics epitomise the sort of striker that Chelsea certainly appear to be seeking.

‘Very strong’ at finishing, ‘headed attempts’ and ‘aerial duels’ - winning 62.6% of the 163 he has competed in the league and Champions League combined this season - the former Wolfsburg hitman is a nightmare for centre-backs to deal with.

Were they looking for a starting centre-forward, Dost may not have the skillset to make an impact at Stamford Bridge. However, as an alternative, direct option - predominantly from the bench - the Netherlands international is surely a better bet than the Premier League players that Chelsea have been quite baffling linked with in the window so far.