Soccer Football - Premier League - Chelsea v AFC Bournemouth - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - December 27, 2022 Chelsea manager Graham Potter reacts REUTERS/David Klein EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs has claimed that Chelsea will be ‘aggressive’ in the last few days of the January transfer window.
The Lowdown: Busy January
Graham Potter has seen seven new faces arrive at Stamford Bridge this month, with Joao Felix, Mykhailo Mudryk and Malo Gusto just some of the names who joined the Premier League side this January.
The Blues are also in ‘talks’ with Benfica to land midfielder Enzo Fernandez, with Fabrizio Romano claiming that Chelsea are proposing a fee of €120m (£105.4m) in ‘different instalments’.
The Latest: Still active
Jacobs claimed that midfield is an area that Chelsea want to strengthen when speaking to GiveMeSport, as he expects them to push hard in the remaining hours of the window.
He stated: “Chelsea will surprise us in the final few days of the window – Chelsea will be aggressive in the final few days of the window.
“This is down to the fact that despite their big spending and a lot of exciting, creative-minded players coming in like Mudryk, Madueke and Felix, one of their priorities at the beginning of the window was a midfielder.
“They still haven’t got a midfielder and there’s only a few days left of the window.”
The Verdict: A huge rebuild
We believe that the massive spending by Chelsea is due to the fact they’re looking at rebuilding their squad as it’s Potter’s first window in charge since his appointment.
A number of the Blues’ summer signings already look like poor bits of business, as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Marc Cucurella and Kalidou Koulibaly have flattered to deceive.
Chelsea’s spending in recent times has been heavily criticised by many, including TalkSport’s Danny Murphy, who labelled their transfer activity as ‘ludicrous’.
The money spent by Potter’s side has certainly been ridiculous as far as the amount is concerned, but this is a Chelsea side that is severely underperforming this season.
That being said, questions have to be asked in terms of Financial Fair Play. It appears there’s a loophole within the regulations of FFP and the Blues have been able to spend money on players as they end up paying the transfer fees and wages over a longer period rather than in one go – though UEFA is taking steps to prevent this in the future.
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