Chelsea have made a fantastic start to life under new manager Maurizio Sarri and after eight league games, are unbeaten and level on points at the top of the table.
Many experts had labelled this season’s Premier League as a two-horse race between Manchester City and Liverpool, but Sarri’s Blues have thus far matched their North-West rivals with new betting sites UK now suggesting that Chelsea could be contenders.
Given how Guardiola’s City amassed a record-breaking 100 points to win the league last term however, it’s ultimately going to take something incredible to stop Pep’s sharks, hence the reason why only Liverpool – this summer’s biggest Premier League spenders – had been tipped to challenge.
With that in mind, who could Chelsea bring in this January if they are bolster their ranks and build this impressive start into a genuine title run?
Timo Werner
Alvaro Morata hit the ground running when he joined from Real Madrid in the summer of ’17, but the Spaniard’s form quickly fizzled out and his ability to find the back of the net tapered off towards the end of the season. Morata turns 26 before the end of October and should now be well into his prime years, but all-in-all his record of 13 goals in 38 Chelsea appearances is not a tally that is going to bring a title to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea’s other main striker, Olivier Giroud, is far from prolific either and is yet to open his account for this season.
A player that Chelsea have previously been linked with is German international Timo Werner, who has hit 21 goals in all competitions for RB Leipzig for the past two consecutive seasons. Werner is also off the mark this term, scoring four times in seven league games as Leipzig sit 2nd in the Bundesliga. At 22, he’s a player that is yet to reach his peak but is already a proven goal scorer at a consistent level and has replicated his form in Europe.
Robert Lewandowski
Though at an entirely different stage of his career, an alternative to the Werner move could be a raid for unsettled Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski.
Bayern have made an uncharacteristically poor start to their Bundesliga campaign and sit in 6th after seven matches, while their 30-year-old Polish striker was linked with a move away in the summer and has reportedly been keen on a move to England.
Mauro Icardi
Again at the top end of the pitch, Chelsea would be wise to consider Mauro Icardi as an option.
The Argentine striker netted 29 times in 34 Serie A outings for Inter Milan last year and the 25-year-old’s physical game is perhaps well prepared for the demands of the Premier League. Sarri is also well-acquainted with Icardi following his time at Napoli.
Daniele Rugani
24-year-old centre-back Rugani is another name Sarri is familiar with having broken into the Juventus first team in recent years and although Chelsea have looked solid at the back in the early going this season, they were in the market for a Gary Cahill replacement in the summer.
Antonio Rüdiger and Andreas Christensen have filled the void alongside David Luiz, but Rugani would bring competition for places and also be a long-term move given Luiz and Cahill’s advancing years.
A potential replacement for Eden Hazard
Not something that Chelsea fans want to consider, but the man who has been doing the strikers’ job and scoring match-winning goals this season – Eden Hazard – continues to publicly express his desire for a move to Real Madrid.
Chelsea would be an entirely different entity without Hazard, their talisman right now, but may need to have midfield targets lined up should the Spanish giants swoop in January, which is a very realistic prospect.
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