Chelsea return to Premier League action at the weekend knowing that only three points will do against Aston Villa, otherwise talk of their demise will continue to rumble on into the autumn.
Blues supporters would’ve seen a rather shifty looking Jose Mourinho in Kiev, sporting what looked like a bargain basement Sports Direct hoodie in the week as the Chelsea manager spied on Spain versus Ukraine and in truth, it was probably a welcome relief from managing his club side who have dramatically fallen from grace this term.
In the European Qualifying game in Kiev, Mourinho watched on as Cesc Fabregas missed a penalty and Chelsea fans will also know that Eden Hazard had a penalty saved while representing Belgium recently.
Right now, it seems most things that Chelsea players are touching are going to pot with several members of the Blues’ squad shot of confidence at the minute although it must be acknowledged, Willian struck a noteworthy brace against Venezuela in 2018 World Cup Qualifying yesterday evening.
When times are tough at top sides, new signings usually appease the fans in the short-term and one top quality player who is being linked with a Chelsea switch right now is Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke.
According to reports in Spain, the £40 million-rated Spanish international is being lined up by Mourinho as someone to freshen up a midfield that has witnessed disappointing performances from Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas thus far this campaign.
If reports on Koke are accurate, who else may be joining him at Stamford Bridge in the New Year? Here’s five men who might be.
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Click on the image below to reveal the five players who could follow Koke to Chelsea in January.
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Andriy Yarmolenko
While a Chelsea player in Cesc Fabregas was playing away in Kiev recently, Jose Mourinho was probably out in Eastern Europe to glance over a few of the Dynamo Kiev players his Blues side will be facing in the Champions League on gameweek three.
Other than Yevhen Konoplyanka, Ukraine’s other poster boy and star player right now is Kiev’s Andriy Yarmolenko who admitted he didn’t know that Mourinho was watching on this week.
Instructing reporters to ask Mourinho why he was present, it seems the Ukrainian international might’ve been an additional reason why the Portuguese boss was spying in a transfer sense.
Undoubtedly a quality player, Yarmolenko has been with Kiev since 2007 and surely has a big move within him in the next transfer window or so given the fact more European clubs are sitting up and taking notice of his talents.
Either a winger or a withdrawn centre forward, some of our Blues regulars are wandering whether this is even a pressing need at Stamford Bridge with Oscar, Pedro, Willian and Eden Hazard all capable of filling in, in these attacking positions.
Kostas Manolas
A few days ago, some of the tabloids claimed that Chelsea were planning yet another attempt to prise John Stones away from Everton in the January transfer window but with the Toffees’ stance likely to be exactly the same come the New Year, alternatives might be sought.
One new centre back target linked with Stamford Bridge has been Roma’s Greek international Kostas Manolas whom The Express claim has been a long-term target of the Blues with Chelsea looking to revive a swoop in the New Year.
Linked more frequently with Arsenal in the past, Manolas boasts Champions League experience with both the Italian giants, not to mention Olympiakos but we can only imagine what Chelsea new boy Papy Djilobodji thinks about all of this.
Signed as what everybody now deems a panic purchase on summer transfer deadline day, the same reports suggest Mourinho didn’t sanction a deal for the Senegalese, this why he hasn’t been called upon so far this season.
Isco
Despite boasting a number of talented attack-minded midfielders, Chelsea have been linked with another one in the form of Real Madrid’s Isco of late.
While it would be hard to see Chelsea swooping for both Koke and Isco within one transfer window, these are the two names right at the forefront of transfer news concerning the Blues right now.
According to conflicting reports from Metro, while the first slide told the story of Mourinho potentially being in Kiev to scout Andriy Yarmolenko, these reports claim the Blues boss may have been casting his eye over Isco instead.
One of our more cynical punters claims maybe Mourinho was there to just watch a football match or alternatively all of the aforementioned targets at once and to be honest, we get where he’s coming from with a move for Isco looking incredibly ambitious on paper.
Enduring a slow start to life at the Bernabeu having been a star in his time with Malaga, Isco has slowly began to make it work and is more of a regular feature in Los Blancos’ side nowadays.
What’s more, do Chelsea really need another central / attacking midfielder with their defence surely requiring the most attention right now?
Marquinhos
It’s safe to say that Jose Mourinho and Barcelona well, don’t get along after all that’s happened in the past and what have you and the Catalan giants could be about to irk the Portuguese boss again with Luis Enrique’s side linked with a hijacking of the proposed Marquinhos transfer.
Despite being a top quality player, the Brazilian international simply isn’t able to break the central defensive partnership of David Luiz and Thiago Silva at Paris Saint-Germain and thus, the likes of Chelsea have looked to capitalise on this situation.
Making a bid for the former Roma man on summer transfer deadline day of course, there is nothing clearer to state Chelsea’s intentions of landing the player but now, the Daily Star claim Barcelona are plotting a shock deal to land the £40 million-rated target.
While this may be true, we do think that if Chelsea’s defence continues to look abject up until the New Year, Roman Abramovich may be forced into paying a little over the odds for somebody like Marquinhos but if this were to be the case, many Blues fans would like to see an inflated Anthony Martial-type fee sent in the direction of John Stones as a first choice.
Adrien Rabiot
With Chelsea’s defence probably requiring the most attention in the transfer market, surely the next pressing concern for reinforcements is central midfield with both Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas looking off the pace this season, not to mention John Obi Mikel and Ramires not being rated by all Blues fans.
One man who is seemingly forever linked with a Premier League switch, yet has most recently been described as potentially being available in January is Marquinhos’ Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Adrien Rabiot.
Like Marquinhos, Rabiot is a bit-part player at the Parc Des Princes, unable to dislodge the first choice midfield three of Blaise Matuidi, Thiago Motta and Marco Verratti, and according to French reports referenced by The Express, the French champions are willing to listen to considerable offers for the French Under-21 international.
Someone more dynamic and up-and-coming than the ageing Ramires and Mikel, perhaps the highly-rated Rabiot could be someone to take over while suring up the Chelsea midfield for years to come with Rabiot only being 20-years-old at present.
