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The winter transfer window is not ideal for recruitment, but Chelsea have still managed to get deals over the line, including Fernando Torres, Tim Cahill, David Luiz, Olivier Giroud and Christian Pulusic.
Clubs will be gearing up to reinforce their squads, given the uncertainty regarding COVID and the unfulfillment of the vaccines.
With Chelsea still in all competitions, Thomas Tuchel will be eyeing a couple of those trophies. Let's dig right in to see what the 2022 winter transfer window has in store for Chelsea.
1) Let's talk about Chelsea's defence
It's not the ideal situation any club would want to be in. Chelsea have Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen and Thiago Silva, whose contracts expire at the end of the season. These players are free to sign pre-contracts with other clubs once the winter transfer window is open.
Out of them, Silva's case looks the easiest to solve. The Brazilian has enjoyed his reunion with the boss and wants to play the World Cup in Qatar. So it is a no-brainer that a contract extension is just around the corner.
Moving on to Azpilicueta, it looked like the club would have him tied down to a new contract; however, there hasn't been any talks between them since October. Barcelona have shown interest in the Spanish international, but the Chelsea captain prefers to stay at the Bridge.
Two more players of concern are Rudiger and Christensen. While the former seems certain to go, talks with the latter have stalled. Real Madrid believe they can lure the German international to the Bernabeau.
This has led to Attila Szalai and Matthijs de Ligt being brought up as potential replacements.
As per the reports, Attila Szalai to Chelsea was a done deal worth £20m. Turkish media started linking the 23-year-old defender and the Hungry coach, Marco Rossi, added fuel to the fire by saying it was a done deal.
“It’s hard to name just one player but right now I see very well Attila Szalai, who plays for Fenerbahce... I think he is joining Chelsea. Clearly, he has been followed by important clubs in Spain, but apparently his move to Chelsea is a done deal.”
Following the comments of Marco Rossi, Fenerbache released a statement of their own.
“The allegations regarding the transfer of our player Attila Szalai, which have been made public in the last few days, based on foreign press and social media, do not reflect the truth."
“Our club has not made any transfer negotiations regarding our successful football player Attila Szalai."
“Our player continues his work completely concentrating on the goals of our team. We present it to the public.”
Meanwhile, Matthijs de Ligt's name is a bit of a surprise. The player is on a much higher wage at Juventus than what Rudiger or Christiensen are asking. A deal seems unlikely.
2) Is Jules Kounde back on the radar?
Chelsea believed they had agreed on a fee with Sevilla in the summer for Jules Kounde, only to be told that the Premier League club would need to up their offer by more than £10 million.
Talks broke down at that time, and since then, the La Liga club have inserted a £68-million release clause into the player's contract. It is hard to see how Chelsea can negotiate a lower fee now.
With Rudiger and Christiensen's contract talks up in the air, it does not put the Champions League holders in a bargaining position. They could either pay the release clause next month and loan him back to Sevilla for the remainder of the season - just like Christian Pulisic - or just wait a little longer to get their man.
3) How about a new left-back?
To be fair, that's a tricky question to ask. Ben Chilwell is back in light training as per the plan. The club would now want to see how his knee reacts to training and reserve games, so that could take a while.
Tuchel prefers a fit Chilwell over going and looking for a new left-back, but the club has put all options on the table. If the England international requires surgery, Tuchel and the club would have no option but to find a new man.
4) What about the midfield?
Chelsea have plenty of players to choose from when it comes to midfield. But the recent Covid outbreak and injuries have left Tuchel short on men. With Kante prone to injuries and Kovacic first being out because of an injury, then testing positive for COVID, has put all the burden on Jorginho. On loan from Atletico Madrid, Saul has yet to cement his place.
This has left Tuchel with few options like Ross Barkley and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Aurelien Tchouameni is on the club's radar, but a deal in the winter looks less likely. Monaco are in no rush to sell, and the French international has attracted interest from other clubs as well.
How about recalling Billy Gilmour from loan?
It would have been understandable had he not played much, which was the case under the old coach. However, he has been a regular under his new coach, Dean Smith. Plus, it is believed that the Scottish international has already played enough minutes to ensure that the break clause can no longer be triggered.
Chelsea loan coach Carlo Cudicini has also confirmed that Chelsea cannot recall the Scottish international.
Speaking to Ladbrokes, Cudicini said: “What’s important for Conor is to finish the season where he is. That’s why we’ve not put anything in place to recall him next month — it’s the same with Billy Gilmour.”
We all love the Declan Rice saga, don't we?
Though Tuchel admires that player, Rice has a contract until 2024, with the option of extending it by another 12 months at West Ham. Also, West Ham value the English midfielder at more than £100m, a price that Chelsea are unwilling to pay.
All in all, expect a rather quiet transfer window, Chelsea fans!
