Chelsea’s new signing Demba Ba: I can play alongside Fernando Torres
Chelsea's new signing Demba Ba insists he will have no problem playing alongside another striker for Rafael Benítez's side
Demba Ba has rubbished claims he will struggle to play alongside Fernando Torres after the Senegal international completed his much-anticipated move to Chelsea.
The 27-year-old finalised a £7m switch from the Magpies to Stamford Bridge on Friday, penning a three-and-a-half year deal at the Champions League holders.
Ba was deployed in a central striking role during his time at St James’ Park, with the arrival of Papiss Cisse briefly resulting in a positional change.
But Ba, who has scored 13 Premier League goals this season, maintains he is comfortable starting alongside a strike partner – should Rafael Benítez opt to do so.
“I don’t know if it’s fair to say [whether he plays better as a lone striker],” he told Chelsea’s official website.
“It doesn’t matter if you have one, two or three forwards. You always have someone supporting you and more than one player thinking of scoring goals.
“When you play with two both will try to score goals, and the percentage chance can increase automatically.”
He added: “With another striker I can do a bit more around the pitch and not just be focused in the penalty area.
“With only one striker it can be good also because you have wingers helping you. It really doesn’t matter for me.”
