The areas Chelsea must address in the January transfer window
By Euan Burns
Chelsea could be one of the big movers in the 2023 January transfer window as they have struggled to impress so far and may have money to spend.
The Blues are on their second coach of the season after Thomas Tuchel made way for Graham Potter. That led to a pick up in form but it did not last and there is a feeling that if new owner Todd Boehly does not act now, they could slip away from the top four fight altogether.
They are being linked with a host of players in plenty of positions and while many other big teams are not expected to make any major moves in January, the same cannot be said for Chelsea. Potter has tried to play down the chances of any big moves, though.
“What I would say is that historically the January window isn’t so straightforward to find solutions. From my perspective, there was an extreme period and I would not want to make too many drastic assessments based on that extreme period," Potter said.
“I think the team, as I see it, has not functioned as maximally as I would like it to and I think it can do. The job of a head coach is to focus on the ones that are here and make them better. There is room for improvement there, for sure.”
Here is a look at which areas of the pitch they are looking to address in January.
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Central midfield
One of the areas of the Chelsea squad that has not been particularly exciting for Chelsea fans this season is central midfield. There is a very real possibility that both Jorginho and N'Golo Kante will not be at the club next season, so some planning needs to be done.
They look further ahead than anyone else in the hotly-contested race to sign Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez. Even though he could end up costing around the £100m mark, Chelsea seem determined to get the deal over the line. They are also one of the names in the discussion for Jude Bellingham, but he is not expected to move in January. The long-term pursuit of Declan Rice could also heat up at any moment.
Wide forward
There is a serious lack of goals and creativity at Chelsea right now and there are also plenty of players who could be shipped out to free up space and finances. That's why they are so desperate to win the race to sign Rafael Leao. It is not expected that AC Milan will accept any January bids, but their best piece of business could be to secure his signature for the summer.
Another player that has been rumoured and would be easier to sign in January is Leandro Trossard. The Brighton attacker has worked with Potter before and could potentially be a very smart piece of business.
Striker
A wide forward is all well and good, but what Chelsea really need is to add a prolific striker to the squad. Their best striker right now is essentially Kai Havertz, who isn't a striker. The move that the fans would really love to see happen would be Victor Osimhen from Napoli.
Napoli are unlikely to sell in January but they do tend to listen to high offers and not stand in the way of departures. Other options to explore for Chelsea could be Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic or Benfica's Goncalo Ramos.
None of these deals would be cheap, but Chelsea may need to start throwing that money around if they are to rescue the season.
