Timo Werner has redeemed what could be his final chance to salvage a future at Chelsea after a succession of impressive displays. The 26-year-old is enjoying a rich vein of form and has proved pivotal in each of his previous two starts for the Blues.
The German international, who has struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League since arriving for £47.5m in 2020, has recaptured the form that once labelled him one of Europe's most in-form strikers. Despite a small sample size, Werner rolled back the years to his RB Leipzig days and finally offered an insight as to why Chelsea wrestled Liverpool for his signature.
He's directly contributed towards four goals against Southampton and Real Madrid but is still yet to have fulfilled Thomas Tuchel's overriding demand. So, should Werner follow Kai Havertz's redemption template, he could savour a similar fate.
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The Blues boss has often spoken of how the German needs to ignite his own resurgence in west London and take responsibility for his misfortunes in front of goal. Tuchel reiterated his point following Werner's spritely display at St Mary's, stressing that the striker still has a long way to go before cementing an undisputed first-team role.
"At some point, there are no words, and you have to help yourself," he said. "You sign up for Chelsea or a top club. You have to live up to it and accept the pressure that comes with it.
"You have to help yourself in training, and you come on the pitch as a substitute. You have to be ready when the chance comes to be there, and this is what he did."
Tuchel added: "But he still needs to learn to adapt through moments like this because he used to play regularly and used to teams built for him, and he played for a transition team before. He needs to adapt to the physicality still of the league, and it is a process. The process isn't finished, but it was a big step in the right direction."
Werner, whose contract at Stamford Bridge doesn't expire until 2025, has shown a raw desire to earn a future at Chelsea. And while it is a step in the right direction, a handful of leading European sides are already beginning to queue up for his services.
His agent Volker Struth is already actively seeking a way out of west London for the £37.8m-rated striker, according to reports. The Express report that Struth travelled to Italy last week to sit down with representatives from Juventus, AC Milan and Atalanta over a potential move at the end of the summer.
Werner will likely score 20 or more goals across a season for any other club in Europe's top-flight, so Chelsea should make their next decision carefully. Time is of the essence, but the growing interest could rush the board into making an impulsive decision at the end of the season.
