Patrik Schick, the man who could reignite Chelsea's title tilt next term?

By Alessandro Schiavone

There’s a time and a place to score a hat-trick.  

And Patrik Schick yet again picked his game wisely as Bayer Leverkusen thumped RB Leipzig 4-1 in a high-stakes game to sneak back into the top-four after direct contenders Hoffenheim and Stuttgart shared the spoils in a 3-3 thriller earlier on Saturday afternoon.

Chelsea's 3-1 demolition by Nottingham Forest, covered by our London specialist Yann Tear earlier today, once again exposed the west Londoners' lack of cutting edge.

And right now Schick is doing what Cole Palmer became known for in his first season at the club before going off the boil by carrying a team of decent yet not spectacular footballers into the Champions League almost single-handedly. The man from Prague makes scoring look so easy having recently surpassed the 100-goal mark for the club. Only category-A legends Ulf Kirsten and Stefan Kiessling netted more goals than him for the Aspirin club.

A toe poke goal for Leverkusen’s opener was followed by two almost identical goals by clinically slotting past keeper Vandevoordt which sealed a comfortable win against the Bundesliga's third force.

And the question that is begging is: when were Chelsea last blessed with a proper, out-and-out number 9 like Schick? Most will unanimously pick Diego Costa... but that's now nine years ago already!

The ex-Sparta Prague, Sampdoria, Roma and RB Leipzig has bagged a staggering 103 goals in 208 outings for Leverkusen. You certainly don’t need to be an expert in mathematics to figure out that it amounts to almost one strike every other game.  

On Saturday, Schick yet again demonstrated his innate ability to lead the line on his own and feed off his teammates’ outstanding service. 

And his second goal when he latched on to a pass in behind the visitors’ high line was worthy of winning every football match.

Immaculate in front of goal and possessing a fine technique for a number 9, it makes no difference to him whether the ball is played to his feet or into space. 

With nine goals in his last six games, the Czech superstar has outscored Chelsea as a team. In that same gloomy period the Blues’ dreadful return stands at one solitary goal.

Who knows where Schock would be now had he been spared by all those injuries in his career?

Yet as Totti once said: winning one league title in Rome is worthy more than 10 at any other Serie A club...

And Schick was the architect of Leverkusen's first-ever domestic title two springs ago.

Not a summer has passed without him being linked with the Premier League and his name was bandied about at Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea more than once in the past.

Yet although he's happy at BayArena, he might live to regret it if he never sets foot in this league.

Schick is getting progressively stronger, fitter and as a result lethal in the box.

His injury record is also a thing of the past. And there a mix of tension and anticipation among Leverkusen fans ahead of games with their striker's red-hot form worth the entrance fee alone. The question being asked is: 'how many' and not if he scores.

If fit, he’s the type of striker who can turn any team from Europa Conference league material to Champions League contenders. That sounds like music to Chelsea's ears after Liam Delap and company have struggled for consistency this term.

At 30, Schick may have a low sell-on value but his arrival would perhaps be greeted with open arms in a dressing room crying out for experienced heads. Marc Cucurella, who complained about the club's policy of bringing in undercooked talents. would be punching the sky should Schick walk through the Cobham door by August. If he's still around by then.

Schick, who is riding a wave of confidence after leading the Czech Republic to their first World Cup since 2006, is the finished article capable of making an instant impact in the Premier League. 

A killer in the box, he knows how to put the ball away one-on-on with the keeper and is unfazed by pressure and responsibility.

Left-footed, he has a number of strings to his bow such as aerial threat and the ability to attack crosses and use both his feet to finish off chances. 

And that in itself would be a significant upgrade on the Lukakus, Higuains, Patos and Moratas of this world who have all miserably failed to make their mark at Stamford Bridge in recent years. 

What’s more, in Leverkusen’s title-winning season, Schick looked equally at home up-front on his own or with a partner.

And he could go on to replicate the blind understanding and fruitful partnership he used to have with Boniface now with Joao Pedro in west London.

Only Harry Kane and Denis Undaz have located the onion bag more often than him in Germany this term.

In England, only Haaland and Igor Thiago would probably finish higher in the goal charts.

But that wouldn't be something to be ashamed of at 31 or 32.

Should Arsenal win the Prem this month, complacency might set in next term. And Pep Guardiola's likely Etihad exit would blow the door wide open for Chelsea to make a case for a title tilt next year. Ten years on from the last (miraculous) one under Conte. But only if the recruitment is spot on.

The Blues have spent money on bang average players since the BlueCo takeover four years ago.

Yet breaking the bank for Schick would be money well spent.

Swallow your ego, ditch your futile policy and take a punt, Mister Boehly. 

Or else you might regret it!