The opening of a transfer window usually means the opening of the chequebook at Chelsea, but January is expected to provide a break with recent tradition. The club’s hierarchy viewed the summer window as the culmination of a cycle that saw almost the entire first-team squad overhauled and with Enzo Maresca’s team flying high in the Premier League, there are few positions in obvious need of immediate improvement.
The Blues are blessed with the deepest squad in the country and though their mammoth season will extend into the summer’s new-look Club World Cup, they already look well placed to cope. Reece James is due to return from his latest hamstring injury in the New Year, but the captain cannot be relied upon to stay fit, having been available for just four Premier League games so far this season.
.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&width=960)
Marc Cucurella and Malo Gusto are the only other senior full-back options. Cucurella has played a huge amount of football given Spain’s run to win Euro 2024, while Gusto has picked up plenty of niggles over an impressive 18 months at Stamford Bridge.
There are other options, including the versatile Renato Veiga and youngster Josh Acheampong, who has just signed a new contract, but proper full-back cover is needed. Need? Not much. Robert Sanchez still does not convince as the Blues’s No1 but Maresca insists he backs the Spaniard and, in any case, has Filip Jorgensen to turn to if need be.
