Enzo Maresca surely fuming as Chelsea all but rule out one signing for January

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It’s only the start of October and already, rumours are swirling around potential January reinforcements at Chelsea.

The new campaign hasn’t started as Enzo Maresca would have hoped, but Chelsea have had their fair share of misfortune.

The season is still young, and there won’t be any panic setting in at Stamford Bridge, but the consequences of the Club World Cup are making things difficult. Chelsea are riddled with injuries, which has some fans wondering why more wasn’t done in one particular area.

And a new report suggests the club don’t plan on addressing it in January, either.

Chelsea not planning a centre-back addition in January

When Levi Colwill’s ACL injury came to light, there was an immediate concern among the Chelsea support, who recognised that the options behind him aren’t what you would want in a title-contending side.

Maresca urged the club to replace Colwill, but no such signing was made.

Some thought January would be the perfect opportunity for the Blues to strengthen in that area, but a report from the Daily Mail suggests no such plans are in place. One reason is that summer signing Jorrel Hato can cover there.

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As Kieran Gill writes: “Hato’s versatility is one reason why Chelsea did not sign a new central defender despite Maresca’s plea following Colwill’s ACL injury – suffered in their very first training session back after the summer – as they felt there were no obvious upgrades available in the market compared to their in-house options.”

The in-house options he speaks of haven’t covered themselves in glory to start the campaign, spurring even more questions. But Chelsea don’t seem to be reacting much: “That stance is unlikely to change in January unless their injury issues become so severe they are forced into a rethink.”

Summer or bust for Chelsea

Since BlueCo’s takeover, Chelsea have not hesitated to spend big and sign many of the most coveted players in world football. But more often than not, they do so with little regard for squad building, or at least that’s how it seems.

The goalkeeper and centre-back positions have been neglected for far too long, while in the attacking areas, there is an excess of talent unable to get consistent minutes.

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It’s not that Chelsea haven’t signed players in these positions. It’s that they have rarely altered the strategy when doing so.

A 20-year-old winger is going to be much more ready for top-level competition than a centre-back of the same age, or a keeper. The positions require different things.

Chelsea need to account for this next summer, and they need to sign a world-class centre-back with experience to pair with the returning Colwill. Same needs to be done in goal. The side needs strengthening to fully reach the potential it clearly has.