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Chelsea are ninth in the Premier League after 21 games. Graham Potter invested heavily in his squad last month and is now expected to power his team into the top four of the standings.
Meanwhile, former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson has urged Blues' co-owner Todd Boehly to be patient with Potter. Elsewhere, acclaimed transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reckons Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.
On that note, here's a look at the key Chelsea transfer stories as on February 5, 2023:
Chelsea told to be patient with Graham Potter
Paul Merson has urged Boehly to be patient with Potter. The English manager took charge at Chelsea last September but has endured a shaky start to his Stamford Bridge tenure. With Boehly opting to pull the plug on Thomas Tuchel after his struggles at the start of the campaign, Potter’s position is increasingly under scrutiny.
Speaking to Sky Sports, as cited by The Metro, Merson said that Potter needs time to assert his influence on a hastily assembled squad.
“It didn’t surprise me yesterday, to be honest. I didn’t think they were going to instantly win. You know we’re not playing Football Manager here! Can’t just get them all together, put them in, and they win,” said Merson.
He continued:
“It’s going to be hard. There’s a lot of languages; a lot of players who have played different ways in their career for their clubs, and it is going to take time. It’s how patient Todd Boehly’s going to be.”
Merson, though, was critical of Potter for starting Mykhaylo Mudryk against Fulham despite the player suffering from a cold.
“The problem is if he’s not well, give the lad a chance. Don’t play him on his home debut if he’s not well. He was behind the eight ball straight away. Not a good one for him. He did struggle. Don’t play him; they’ve got enough players in the squad to not play him. For me, he needs to hit the ground running. They all do,” said Merson.
Mudryk arrived from Shakhtar Donetsk with a lot of hype in January but endured a difficult home debut against the Cottagers on Friday (January 3).
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang backed to leave
Fabrizio Romano reckons Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will leave Chelsea this year.
The Gabon international left Barcelona last summer to arrive at Stamford Bridge. However, his stay in London has hardly been impressive so far. Barcelona were eager to take him back to the Camp Nou last month but failed to complete a move due to FIFA rules.
In his column for Caught Offside, Romano said that the Blaugrana like the 33-year-old.
“It was impossible for Barcelona to proceed due to FIFA rules; they like the player but nothing else because of official rules. I think Aubameyang will 100% leave Chelsea in 2023; the plan is clear,” wrote Romano.
The 33-year-old has scored three goals and set up one more in 18 games across competitions for the Blues this season.
Blues were willing to offload Conor Gallagher in January, says Ben Jacobs
Chelsea were ready to consider offers for Conor Gallagher till the final days of the January transfer window, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.
The English midfielder was a revelation on loan to Crystal Palace last season but has found the going a lot tougher at Stamford Bridge this campaign. He has struggled to nail down a place in the starting XI under Potter so far.
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jacobs said that Jorginho’s departure prompted the Blues to take Gallagher off the market.
“Gallagher was an available name on the market until I would say, the final few days of the window, and then Chelsea had to put things on hold until they understood the situation with Jorginho – who ended up going to Arsenal – and obviously their own midfield incomings as well,” said Jacobs.
Gallagher has registered 26 appearances across competitions for the London giants this season, scoring one goal and recording an assist.
