It’s almost time for Chelsea to buy some more footballers, folks.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side have not made the sort of progress fans would have hoped for during his first half-season in charge and injuries mean the squad is somehow looking thin in parts.
The idea of Champions League qualification is already fanciful with the Blues struggling to cement a place in the top half of the Premier League table. Pochettino will be given time to build some form at the start of 2024, but he might want some new players to kick-start that process.
Here are the areas Chelsea could look to address in the 2024 January transfer window and the players who have been linked so far.
Right-back
It seems odd that Chelsea need another right-back with both Reece James and Malo Gusto at the club, but the repetitive injuries the duo have suffered means Axel Disasi keeps having to play out wide. That has hindered the depth at centre-back which is far from helpful.
With James set for another lengthy spell on the sidelines, a new arrival on the right flank of defence would be very welcome and allow Pochettino to stop using players out of position so frequently.
Striker
Going off the current evidence, few would predict Nicolas Jackson to turn into the prolific striker Chelsea need to lead their line. His seven Premier League goals is not a poor tally, but it’s worth remembering three came in that silly 4-1 win over Tottenham in which he probably should have scored about six.
Armando Broja is now fit and applying a bit more pressure to the Senegalese forward, but another striker who can score goals for years to come is high on Chelsea’s wishlist.
Goalkeeper
The goalkeeper situation has been an unusual one at Chelsea this season. The signing of Robert Sanchez surprised many and while he has certainly not performed disastrously, many think he is not the long-term solution in goal.
For that reason, Chelsea are in the market assessing many different types of goalkeepers, some of whom are more attainable than others. Shot-stoppers aren’t as cheap as they used to be but there are plenty of good ones around.
