Potential in’s and out’s in January

Chelsea’s January transfer window has been very quiet thus far, with only Ian Maatsen from the first team squad leaving on an initial loan with a release clause set at £35m in his new deal.

With eighteen days passed already without any concrete negotiations for anyone in the first team squad excluding Maatsen, now provides me the perfect time to write about what we may see in the next two weeks.

Let’s start with the potential In’s :

Left back

Chelsea may and probably should indeed look at a new left back.

Ben Chilwell has just returned from injury but he has proven to be not reliable fitness wise, and the usage of Levi Colwill in that position needs to stop, it is hurting his development.

Marc Cucurella is recovering from surgery and is unlikely to be in the long term plans, so now seems like a good moment to move in the left back market.

I reported previously on my personal Twitter (@MaxLondonsFirst) that Chelsea had discussed the idea of bringing in a versatile fullback, with the likes of Jeremie Frimpong and Kyle Walker Peters discussed internally.

Chelsea, though mindful of FFP, are able to spend and do have funds available, and personally I believe the club should look to take advantage of the contract situation surrounding Bayern’s Alphonso Davies.

Davies’ contract expires in 2025 is a Chelsea fan and although a move to Real Madrid seems more likely in the Summer, I believe Chelsea should tempt him now.

“I mean, I grew up watching Chelsea. So Chelsea”.

Alphonso Davies to ESPN when asked which club he would support in England if he had to. (2022)

With Davies, it is not just the player front – The Blues could offer a nice fee to Bayern now, likely higher than what Real Madrid would be putting on the table in 6 months time.

Davies possesses all attributes you would want from a left back (speed, defensive reliability, attacking prowess, strength and height).

His signing would mark another statement of intent from the owners and sporting directors.

Striker

A new striker has been the most debated position over the last few months.

Nicolas Jackson is away at AFCON, Cole Palmer’s only game up front was poor, and Armando Broja is up for sale for the right offer.

Christopher Nkunku is expected back in training this week or next, so there is a huge possibility according to sources that the club do NOT buy a striker and instead rely on him until Jackson returns from AFCON duty.

The number one target as I and many others have previously reported is Victor Osimhen, with the club planning to make a move for him in the Summer window.

In fact, as previously revealed, Chelsea have already had some contact with his camp.

The sporting directors want to make sure they learn from previous market dealings and be one of the first, If not the first, to register interest and talk to the target player’s camp.

Who could come in this window? Sources have been very quiet on this one, so from a personal perspective I have nothing to bring you, unfortunately.

The aim of the club should they decide to bring someone in now will be to not halt the Summer pursuit of Victor Osimhen but also not stunt the development of Nicolas Jackson, sounds a hard player to find right? Yes, it is.

One of the only options I can think of is Karim Benzema on loan, or just an experienced goal scorer on loan, but that is hard as experience usually correlates to age, and most of the options would likely go against the owner’s philosophy of buying young with potential.

Centre back

I do not anticipate Chelsea signing a centre back this window, but the club are looking for another one to add to the ranks, as Trevoh Chalobah and Thiago Silva look likely to depart over the next two windows.

Wesley Fofana will make his return in the next few months, but he cannot be relied on.

Sources exclusively revealed to me recently that Chelsea sent a scout to follow Ousmane Diomande’s development at the AFCON.

Whether it’s Diomande, Antonio Silva, Marc Guehi, Jean-Clair Todibo or somebody else, the club need to make sure they get this one right, as if earmarked as a potential Thiago Silva replacement, they would have massive shoes to fill.

Multi club model signings

It wouldn’t be a transfer window if Chelsea didn’t sign a player or two for the multi club model system.

The club are in talks with Estevao Willian and still hold an interest in Antonio Nusa and Roony Bardghji from Copenhagen.

Outgoings

In contrast to the quiet nature of the potential incoming business, the outgoings could be busy over the next two weeks.

Conor Gallagher’s sale has not been ruled out, Armando Broja is now on the sellable list according to David Ornstein and offers will be listened to for Trevoh Chalobah.

All three players would give Chelsea a huge financial advantage for incomings as they would be listed as pure profit.

Sources have me that Raheem Sterling will likely be a player that is sold, but it is currently viewed as a situation to seriously sit down and discuss more in 2025.

Some around the club feel that he is not performing consistent enough for the huge wage’s he is on (£300,000+), whilst many are also mindful of Mykhailo Mudryk’s development.

In total, the club could raise a healthy £150m from Lewis Hall’s obligation, Ian Maatsen’s release clause, and the sales of Conor Gallagher, Armando Broja and Trevoh Chalobah.

You can see why that rough number is tempting when the directors still intend to improve the squad and all of which would be banked as pure profit, as said earlier.

Managerial position

Mauricio Pochettino’s ideas for the market go against what the directors and owners vision is.

Pochettino knows he is on a two year contract and will get assessed in the summer, should he not fail to the point where an interim is considered before that stage.

The expectation from above is hard to gauge, some sources say it is to get European Football whilst others quantify progression as being better in several areas than the predecessor Graham Potter.

Pochettino, if he gets to the Summer, will be judged on an overall picture with things like table position, ability to work upwards, player progression and in game management expected to be assessed.

With all that in his mind, he will know that he only has so long to get results and build a winning team.

He, like others, have mentioned the need for experience and proven players.

Internally, Pochettino has added input into what he believes the club should target.

Premier League proven players, ready to make an impact now, and able to deal with the physical demands of his system.

So far, nothing suggests the club are listening and acting upon that advice.

Pochettino knew what he was walking in to and what the model was, yet he is reverting to a different style of recruitment now he has worked with the team first hand.

The fact that so many people, including all three appointed managers under this ownership have internally mentioned the need for experience and proven players in regards to future recruitment.

Perhaps those suggestions are not a coincidence and in fact indicative of the current model and it’s failings.

Others will mention the manager / manager’s themselves, and it is absolutely fair to also criticise the use of the squad and the day to day development of the players.

As I mentioned on my personal Twitter page, even players (three to my knowledge) have questioned the tactical set up and their role under Mauricio Pochettino.

Sources also understand that some members in the squad privately questioned the tactical approach to the Manchester United match.

Nevertheless, key members of the squad also really like Pochettino and Sources are quick to highlight that it is also perfectly normal for player’s to have discussions about the manager and their own career’s.

All in all, the remainder of this transfer window to me will show how much the club plan with Mauricio Pochettino, and how much has been learnt from the previous ownership and their mistakes of panicking in certain situations in the market rather than waiting to attack the true number one target.