The statistics that prove Chelsea must sign Edin Dzeko this month

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Chelsea's search for a new centre-forward has taken them to some strange places.

Chelsea have been linked with January moves for Andy Carroll from West Ham, Stoke City's Peter Crouch and Burnley forward Ashley Barnes. All three are effective players for their respective teams, but they aren't the most obvious choices to lead the line for the Premier League champions. However, it looks like they have settled instead on a forward with greater pedigree, and are currently in talks with Roma about a transfer for Edin Dzeko. The Defending in Numbers podcast highlighted some very interesting statistics about the player on this week's show, and it appears Chelsea could be about to make a very shrewd signing. Defending In Numbers is a new Deezer Originals football podcast. Listen to the latest episode and subscribe to the podcast on Deezer and iTunes." Jake Entwistle, Reuben Pinder and host Rob Armstrong discussed a range of topics on the show, including Dzeko's impressive form in Italy, and how he could be a perfect fit for Antonio Conte's team. The former Manchester City striker scored 39 goals in 51 games across all competitions last season, and netted twice against Chelsea earlier this season. He may be 32 in March, but the Bosnian international could be a perfect short-term solution for Chelsea, who are seeking more forward options for the second-half of the season. "He's got a 0.52 goals per game average across all competitions at Roma," Rob said.

"It's pretty much the form of his career, we've talked about all their big man transfer targets – he's certainly a step-up from Andy Carroll, Peter Crouch and Ashley Barnes. A goal every other game, in real life, is a very, very good scoring ratio."

"He scored a brilliant goal against Chelsea in the Champions League this season," Reuben said.

"Roma have been playing a similar formation to what Conte plays at Chelsea for the past couple of seasons, with two narrow, inside-forwards either side of Dzeko. I think he probably slots straight in, as you say, he's never relied on pace, so he's probably just more of a refined player now, and one in two is pretty impressive for a striker. It does seem like it ticks every box."

"He's always been prolific,” Jake said, before suggesting that Conte could play both Dzeko and Alvaro Morata up-front, and mirror the 3-5-2 formation that he deployed when Italy manager.

"Last season was his best ever scoring season. He scored 29 Serie A goals, which is the most by any Roma player in 86 years. Chelsea obviously want a target man, and Dzeko was winning 4.1 aerial duels per 90 minutes last season, which was the third-most of anyone who played over a thousand minutes. So, he fits the complete mould that Conte is looking for."

Dzeko's record in Italy suggests he could prove to be a very smart signing for Chelsea, should he return to the Premier League this month.