Chelsea eye move for Juventus star to bolster attack - Reports

Premier League giants Chelsea are preparing to make a move for Juventus attacker Federico Chiesa, CalcioMercatoWeb has reported.

Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic suffered hamstring injuries in Thursday’s (January 5) 1-0 Premier League defeat to Manchester City. They joined Mason Mount, who picked up a knock ahead of their Premier League clash with City, on the sidelines.

In an attempt to bounce back and regain control of their season, the Blues are reportedly looking to bring in attacking reinforcements in the ongoing January transfer window. Juventus’ Italian winger Chiesa is one of the most sought-after forwards in Italy, and 2021 Champions League winners Chelsea are ready to launch a bid for him.

Chelsea’s Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur have long been interested in the 25-year-old Italian. In an older report, CalcioMercatoWeb reported that Tottenham boss Antonio Conte dreams of bringing the player to north London but only in the summer window. If the Pensioners are seriously interested in signing Chiesa in January, it would come as a big blow to Spurs.

Chiesa has only featured in four games for the Bianconeri in the 2022-23 season, scoring a goal. The 2020 European Championship winner missed the previous matches due to the ACL injury he endured last season.

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Injuries are responsible for Chelsea’s poor run under Graham Potter, claims Dean Saunders

Former Aston Villa striker Dean Saunders has blamed injuries for the Blues’ current embarrassing run of form. Saunders has claimed that they are missing some of their best players, which has kept Graham Potter from fielding his preferred XI and extracting maximum performance.

After the 1-0 defeat to Manchester City, Saunders told talkSPORT:

“I think that injuries are killing them. (Wesley) Fofana, (Ben) Chilwell, Reece James, (N’Golo) Kante, (Armando) Broja, (Edouard) Mendy, (Ruben) Loftus-Cheek, it’s like half of your team is missing.

“They have got seven or eight injuries as well, but they are not playing well. It’s not acceptable [for Chelsea to be in 10th position at this time of the season], but you have asked the question if it is Graham Potter, is it injuries or whatever. I think that it is injuries.”

Thursday’s result marked the Blues’ fourth defeat in their last six Premier League games. Currently in 10th place, the Londoners are trailing fourth-placed Manchester United by 10 points.