Mario Melchiot brought the hammer down hard on Timo Werner and Kai Havertz by suggesting Chelsea could move them on before too long, speaking to TalkSport.
Both of the Blues summer signings have struggled to settle into Premier League life since leaving the Bundesliga.
The German pair arrived with huge reputations and even bigger price tags.
Werner was the jewel in RB Leipzig’s crown, Havertz the emerald in Bayer Leverkusen’s treasure chest.
But it’s mostly been rock-bottom for the young diamonds following their move to Chelsea.
Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of their short Blues career is the disappearance of a consistent goal threat.
Between them, Havertz and Werner have scored 15 goals this season.
In the campaign before their transfers to Stamford Bridge, they managed 54 combined.
Havertz hasn’t scored in the league since October. Werner is on a run of two goals in 26 domestic outings.
Melchiot feared if their form didn’t improve, Chelsea may take a U-turn and decide to send the duo back where they came from.
“I think shipping them out would be a little bit too harsh, but I definitely think Chelsea should consider it if they don’t start stepping up to the plate”, admitted the former Blues full-back.
“If you are such a big team and you bring in two keys players to provide you with goals and they don’t so that, of course you’re going to look elsewhere.
“That’s a key question Chelsea have to ask themselves, their form is really going to have to pick up.
“Playing well is great, and Tuchel said it that Havertz played well against Everton and Liverpool, so he should not worry about it, but on the other hand he’s a striker, so you need him to score.”
It would certainly be a bold move for Chelsea to suddenly drop their two expensive arrivals.
They splashed out £113m in total – £45m on Werner (Sky Sports) and £71m (BBC Sport) – with the expectation they would be paid back in performances.
The Blues board have not yet been compensated for their cash exchange and will demand reimbursement soon before they lose patience.
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I think Chelsea’s most powerful members wouldn’t want their costly investments to be seen as mistakes.
Their pride will hold them back from selling them on right away.
However, time is a precious commodity in the footballing world and one Werner and Havertz have to wary of.
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