The January transfer window is underway, so the Chelsea Chronicle writers have predicted how Mauricio Pochettino will see the market with a number of his players having unclear futures.
Chelsea trio Conor Gallagher, Ian Maatsen and Trevoh Chalobah have all been linked with moves away from Stamford Bridge, as the Blues potentially consider a window where they begin to balance the books.
Supporters will be dreaming of more additions though, with them still not seeing their club challenging for places in Europe as of now.
The Chelsea Chronicle predict the Blues’ January transfer window
One of the most notable positions the Blues are targeting is up front, with goals still not flowing freely at Stamford Bridge.
The standout target has been Victor Osimhen, although any deal for him right now will see the club break their transfer record after his reported new contract comes into play.
This could see them look elsewhere, with a number of other strikers on Mauricio Pochettino‘s reported shortlist.
Jack Drury
Jack Drury believes it’s going to be a January transfer window that sees more of a focus on those leaving the club rather than coming in.
January is notoriously tough to secure players who are going to transform the fortunes of a team. While Chelsea did their best to do this 12 months ago, it came at quite the price.
The Premier League have shown they are cracking down on FFP violations, and the Blues will be aware of this when looking to make any signings. This unfortunately means there will be a plethora of outgoings before they can really change their fortunes.
Selling Conor Gallagher would seem strange, however it really feels as if those higher up at the club are keen to cash in on that pure profit on the books. It remains to be seen if anyone has that money to spend in January.
Those who look certain to go are Ian Maatsen, Malang Sarr and Trevoh Chalobah. The former has been unable to get minutes even when no other left-backs are fit.
Even though a striker is the obvious main target, it feels like they wont be able to get a truly brilliant one until the summer. While this could mean they may be lacking goals for the rest of the season, they could really do avoiding the ‘buy cheap, buy twice’ method.
Dom Toner
Dom Toner predicts Chelsea’s owners will put their foot on the accelerator to sign a new striker, while allowing some first-team players to exit the building.
If there’s one thing supporters know about this Chelsea ownership, they like to attack the transfer windows. Therefore, I’m going to predict at least some form of drama around Stamford Bridge when next month’s January window does open.
In terms of potential incomings, the centre-forward position is the big talking point. I think the Blues will go into their pockets to sign a new frontman, with Brentford’s Ivan Toney and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen the high-profile strikers linked in the transfer rumour mill. I’d be happy with either!
As for exits, there’s some familiar names that may be on the chopping block. I’m going to guess we say goodbye to the likes of Trevoh Chalobah and Malang Sarr.
For what it’s worth, I don’t imagine Conor Gallagher going anywhere, despite rumours of a possible sale to help balance the books.
It would be reassuring to know that Mauricio Pochettino does get a big say in any of the business conducted by the club in the New Year.
Caleb Sage
Caleb Sage expects Chelsea to prioritise signing a new centre-forward in the January transfer window, but thinks they will have to wait until the summer to land one and their other top targets.
The whole world knows Chelsea need a new striker. Statistically, Nicolas Jackson has actually not performed too badly since joining the club from Villarreal in the summer, but is he enough to get them back into the Champions League and competing for the title again? It is a lot of pressure to put on a 22-year-old and a situation he should not have been put in.
It now looks like Chelsea will try to correct that by bringing in an elite No.9, with Victor Osimhen being linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.
However, Napoli selling their talisman in the middle of the season seems highly unlikely to me, especially with him now signing a new contract. I cannot see anything happening until the summer.
With Ben Chilwell having picked up another bad injury this term, I can also imagine the club moving for a new left-back. There has been talk about interest in Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies as his contract at the Allianz Arena continues to run down. But similar to Osimhen, it is probably a deal that is going to have to be done at the end of the campaign. Bayern will be reluctant to sell such a key player now.
Chelsea will try to make moves in the winter transfer window. Since taking over the club, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital have not been afraid to enter the market. However, I would be surprised if they managed to land any of their top targets at this moment in time.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
