Chelsea, like every club in the Premier League and beyond, will already be working on their plans for the upcoming transfer window. In recent times, they’ve been one of the most prolific clubs in terms of players coming and going, but getting it right in January could be the difference between mounting a serious title challenge or not.
Right now, Premier League betting online suggests Chelsea are already serious contenders. It’s easy to see why when you take into account that Enzo Maresca’s team are second in the league and points ahead of both Arsenal and reigning champions Manchester City. However, teams have been in this position before and fallen away, which is what makes January so important.
Boehly to Sell Before Buying
The initial item on the agenda will be to move players on who aren’t going to be involved in the second portion of the season. This will help financially and also free up space in the squad. The likes of Ben Chilwell, summer signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and youngsters Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei, and Deivid Washington are all likely to exit.
The next step will be to add more quality and players who can hit the ground running. The direction of Chelsea in the main is to sign the best young players, but they could look to find a balance in January as they know they have a realistic chance of winning the title if the players on the pitch ultimately have what it takes.
It’s not beyond Chelsea to finance moves for young talent proven at the top of the game, even in January, with reports already linking them with moves for Paris Saint-Germain centre-back Lucas Beraldo and Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams. Both transfers would cost tens of millions, but both players are young, 21 and 22, respectively, and they’re already stars with the potential to be even better.
January Push for Title Challenge
Chelsea and Maresca are probably doing a lot better than many expected so far. There were criticism where their apparent scattergun approach to recruitment is concerned, and in their firing of former manager Mauricio Pochettino and the hiring of Maresca as his replacement. But it’s a case of so far so good, with the West London outfit looking the real deal on the pitch.
While the January transfer window isn’t usually the ideal time to be looking to do a lot of business in and out of the club, will Chelsea have a better chance to win the title than the one they have in front of them right now? Liverpool are flying under Arne Slot, but Arsenal continue to stutter, and City are faltering in a big way.
If Chelsea and Maresca make the right moves in the coming weeks, there’s no reason why they can’t consider themselves involved in the title race, even though their chances continue to be played down by their Italian head coach. If they come up short in that race, Champions League qualification is still a great achievement.