Could Chelsea be in the market for a new centre-forward in the January transfer window? We believe there’s a real possibility that we could be.
It may seem absurd to look forward to the winter when the summer window has only just come to a close, but Marina Granovskaia and co will be – why can’t we?
Chelsea recruited four players over the summer. Jorginho, Rob Green, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Mateo Kovacic. Is that enough to take a side that finished fifth back to the top of the Premier League? We shall see.
What we do know is that the season ahead promises to be treacherous. Not only with the arrival of a new manager and implementation of a whole new system, but we also have to consider our involvement in the Europa League.
The games will soon be coming thick and fast. Chelsea are a club who will always strive to compete on all fronts. We will not sacrifice any particular competition in order to focus on another. That’s where Maurizio Sarri’s fringe players will come in.
We have quality in reserve in both defence and midfield. We have options on the wing, especially following the emergence of Callum Hudson-Odoi. But do we have enough firepower in attack? Probably not.
Chelsea could have done with a new centre-forward in the summer, but one didn’t arrive. Instead, we loaned out Michy Batshuayi, arguably our best striker, to Valencia.
ESPN have now reported that Tammy Abraham is closing in on a loan move to EFL Championship outfit Aston Villa. That would narrow Sarri’s options in attack to two.
If injury occurred to either Alvaro Morata or Olivier Giroud, we’d be in big trouble. Chelsea would be taking a huge risk allowing Abraham to leave on loan, even if he could do with getting first-team minutes under his belt.
The solution could be to recruit a new striker in January. The number 9 shirt is available following Morata’s switch to number 29. The stage is very much set for a big-name hitman to arrive in the winter.
Whether Roman Abramovich will provide Sarri with the funds to invest in one, only time will tell. Chelsea splashed out on Fernando Torres back in January 2011 – we’d love to see us show that level of ambition once again.