Chelsea can buy again but that does not mean they have to spend

The transfer ban has been reduced for Chelsea. The Blues can buy again but that does not mean they must open the war chest right away.

When someone wins the lottery, the chances they spend almost all of it on things they do not need is pretty high. Sure, they will say they will get the necessities first. But a lottery winner ending up with a lot of stuff they do not need a worse off than they were before is almost a trope at this point.

Sometimes it is better to take patience as a virtue. Just because an opportunity is available does not mean it should be the one taken. Sometimes better ones come along, but are missed because the first door is opened.

Combined, those two thoughts represent Chelsea going into the January transfer window that they can now participate in. The Blues have a war chest of various sizes depending on who is asked. Chelsea needs reinforcements but the majority of the ones that the club wants are unavailable until the summer. So Chelsea must be careful to not fall into the lottery trap. They have money, but they do not need to spend it right away. Better opportunities will be available if the club is patient.

First of all, the club has to ask what they need. The answer to that is “well, no one really.” The Blues are two deep in every position (assuming a 4-3-3 variant) and unless someone leaves, there is no need to go to the market to fill a spot. The Blues do have positions they can strengthen (and should) of course, but that is not the same as a need. That is a want, especially in January.

Chelsea could use a new left back, probably a new center back, a new winger (if Willian or Pedro are declared surplus), a new midfielder on the defensive side of things, and a deputy striker. Targets for each have floated around in recent weeks and fans have their own preferences. Unfortunately, the vast majority of those players are unavailable in January.

Take the Ben Chilwell rumors for instance. He would be an immediate upgrade but there is simply no way he leaves in January with Leicester’s current form. Even if he would, the price would be astronomically high. That might cause the team to turn to someone like Jose Luis Gaya, but would that be a better alternative because it could happen sooner?

Look at the center back rumors too. Nathan Ake has been linked with some pointing towards a buy clause Chelsea has on him. Though talented, Ake is not really a game changing upgrade on the center backs Chelsea has currently. The Blues could buy him, but that does not mean they should. Better targets would be available in the summer.

Then there are the Jadon Sancho rumors with the Blues willing to break a transfer record for the winger. Now, Sancho is promising and already very talented. But is he talented enough to the tune of 80 million plus? Even if he were available in January, it would be in part due to disciplinary issues and it would still cost a ton. Winger is low on the priority list and the Blues could survive with their current crop until the end of the season. Or they could go for the much, much cheaper alternative in Wilfried Zaha while also leaving the lane open for Callum Hudson-Odoi and Christian Pulisic.

If this is truly a developmental, transitional season, than the only thing that should force the Blues into the market is a player leaving or a summer target actually being available in the winter. Everything else can use some patience. Chelsea has needs to address before wants and just because they have cash to burn does not mean they should. Otherwise, the club runs the risk of falling back into their old ways of buying stop gaps when a few months later permanent solutions are on the table.