Chelsea are enjoying a solid first season under Enzo Maresca. Despite a recent run of poor results, the Blues are still fourth in the Premier League and very much in contention to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
They’re also flying in the Conference League. Maresca’s side finished top of the new-look group phase by winning all of their six games and scored a record 26 goals in the process. There is, however, room for improvement.
The Blues have been struggling at the back all season, keeping just four clean sheets in the top flight, with their problems amplified in recent weeks by injuries to Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile. Fofana is expected to miss the rest of the season, while Badiashile is set to be out until at least February.
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The Blues have also had a few issues going forward. Despite improving, Nicolas Jackson is still missing too many chances, while Noni Madueke has been disappointing on the right wing. Mykhailo Mudryk, meanwhile, is currently suspended for failing a drugs test.
To remedy those ailments, Chelsea should use the January transfer market to search for some reinforcements. Here are seven players we think they should look at signing:
1
Marc Guehi
Crystal Palace
Marc Guehi, who came through Chelsea’s academy before being sold to Crystal Palace for a fee of £18 million in 2021, has been linked with a sensational return to Stamford Bridge this month.
Speaking with CaughtOffside earlier this month, journalist Fabrizio Romano said that Guehi is a player that Chelsea “like” and that a move for him “has already been discussed and considered internally.”
Chelsea should do all they can to land Guehi. Not only has he established himself as one of the Premier League’s finest central defenders since moving to Palace, but he’s also familiar with Chelsea, meaning it should take him less time to adjust if he were to move back to west London.
Chelsea legend Frank Lampard, who handed Guehi his Chelsea debut while in charge of the Blues in 2019, is a big admirer of the Palace star.
Following Guehi’s impressive performances in England’s opening two group games at Euro 2024, Lampard told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I gave him his debut at Chelsea and he is a really polite, humble lad. You could see that he had all the attributes to take him a long way, particularly the personality. He wanted to do well.
“I liked the idea of working with him at the time because when a young kid comes through and shows that humility and wants to do well, that is an amazing thing to work with as a coach.”
2
Jonathan Tah
Bayer Leverkusen
One potential roadblock in a potential Chelsea move for Guehi could be his price tag, which is believed to be £65 million.
If that fee is deemed too expensive for the powers that be at the Bridge, the Blues could instead turn their attentions to Bayer Leverkusen and Germany centre-back Jonathan Tah.
The 28-year-old helped guide Leverkusen to a first-ever Bundesliga title last season, but has confirmed he will leave the BayArena either before or when his contract ends this summer. Leverkusen would no doubt rather avoid losing him for nothing, so January could be a good time for Chelsea to pounce and land him at a bargain price.
Tah has recently been described as “maybe the best defender in Germany” by Liverpool manager Arne Slot.
3
Wilfried Singo
AS Monaco
AS Monaco defender Wilfried Singo has been one of Ligue 1’s most outstanding defenders over the past year or so, impressing with his speed, strength, aerial ability and interceptions – for which he ranks within the 99th percentile when compared to players in his position across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year, as per FBref.
He also ranks in the 94th percentile for progressive carries and 95th for successful take-ons.
“He’s a really good defender. He can play in lots of defensive positions,” Monaco manager Adi Hutter recently said of Singo, who has played at right-back, centre-back and even right-midfield this year.
“He can bring a lot in terms of set-pieces. He is a top header of the ball, with his technique and determination with the head. He’s a warrior and a fighter,” Hutter said.
Chelsea currently need cover in a number of defensive positions, whether at centre-back to fill in for Fofana, or at right-back to cover for the ever-injured Reece James and Malo Gusto. Singo’s versatility and skilset make him a good fit.
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4
Gregor Kobel
Borussia Dortmund
It’s no secret that Chelsea need a new goalkeeper. While he occasionally pulls off a great save or two, current No 1 Robert Sanchez is too error-prone and isn’t good enough with the ball at his feet to play out from the back as Maresca wants him to.
According to German newspaper BILD, Chelsea are eyeing Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel as a replacement for Sanchez, and it’s easy to see why.
Kobel joined Dortmund from Bundesliga rivals Stuttgart in the summer of 2021 for a fee of around £12 million.
Since then, he’s made over 130 appearances for Die Schwarzgelben, keeping 46 clean sheets and establishing himself as one of German football’s top shot-stoppers.
“In Dortmund, Gregor has developed into a goalkeeper of world-class calibre who has attracted the interest of many top clubs in Europe,” Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl said of Kobel last year.
5
Dani Olmo
Barcelona
The future of Christopher Nkunku is currently up in the air. While Maresca has insisted he wants to keep the Frenchman, there is interest from a host of clubs, including Manchester United, and some reports suggest he is ready to move on due to a lack of Premier League minutes in west London.
If Nkunku does leave, Chelsea will have a vacancy in attacking midfield, which could be suitably filled by Dani Olmo.
The Spanish midfielder finds himself in a predicament at Barcelona, who have been unable to register him for the second half of the season due to financial difficulties.
Fortunately, according to Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, Olmo has a clause in his contract that will allow him to terminate his contract and become a free agent.
If he exercises it, Chelsea should make their move. Described by former RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann as an “outstanding footballer”, the 26-year-old boasts exceptional ability on the ball, a thumping long-range strike, and a great eye for threaded through-passes.
6
Ademola Lookman
Atalanta
Ademola Lookman moving to Chelsea isn’t a transfer that is likely to happen, nor has even been rumoured, but it’s one we would love to see.
The 2024 African Footballer of the Year has taken Serie A by storm since joining Atalanta in 2022, scoring 44 goals and producing 24 assists in 100 games for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side.
Most notably, he scored a hat-trick in last season’s Europa League final as Atalanta scooped their first piece of major European silverware.
He’s quick, skilful, creative, and perhaps most importantly for Chelsea, a great habit of arriving into the box from the back post to score. Maresca has previously publicly demanded that from his wide forwards like Noni Madueke and Pedro Neto this season, but they’ve rarely delivered.
Plus, Lookman has a point to prove. Everton, Fulham and Leicester City never gave him a chance to shine while on their books. Finally shining at Chelsea would prove they all were wrong not to, but all in fairness, he’s probably done that already.
7
Milos Kerkez
Bournemouth
Just as they need reinforcements at centre-back and right-back, Chelsea also need numbers at left-back. Marc Cucurella is doing a fine job at present, but can’t play every game, while Malo Gusto simply can’t play down that flank, and Maresca has made it clear he isn’t ready to trust youngster Renato Veiga there just yet.
Ben Chilwell, meanwhile, has been told he can leave Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea reportedly have Brest’s Bradley Locko and Stuttgart’s Borna Sosa on their radar as options, but a dream acquisition, at least in our opinion, would be Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez.
One of the Premier League’s most outstanding defenders this season, the Hungarian is solid in defence and potent in attack, with both sides to his game on display when he put in a man-of-the-match performance in a 2-1 win over Manchester City back in November.
Kerkez provided both of his side’s assists on the day, and also made three clearances, two ball recoveries, and one interception.
After an equally strong performance against Manchester United last season, Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola heaped praise on the 21-year-old, saying: “Milos has, I think, played a hell of a game.
“He has been really good defensively. He has been really good going forward. He has played more forward, and I think these kinds of games where he finds more spaces, he can make his runs, carry the ball, find it two against one outside. I think it suits him very well.”
