Chelsea squad strong enough for now, but new signings needed in January
Chelsea have managed to top up the squad for the time-being, but the Blues will probably need to bring a few more players in the January transfer window.
After a hectic transfer deadline day, Chelsea emerged with two new players having been rejected by two others. The Blues signed Danny Drinkwater and Torino’s Davide Zappacosta as time ran out. While the squad looks strong enough for now, Antonio Conte will probably ask for further reinforcements in January.
This summer has been bizarre for Chelsea. They have spent a lot of money and have brought in six senior squad players. However, it still seems as though the club management have failed. The Blues have sold or loaned a number of players who would be in the senior squad, meaning that depth is lacking.
In total, the club have spent close to £200 million. However, the squad was looking dangerously thin until the deadline had passed on Thursday. The deal for Zappacosta was confirmed in the final minutes, while Chelsea used a two-hour extension to finalise the Drinkwater move.
On the back of those two transfers, Chelsea can field a matchday squad of proven talent. However, there is not much beyond those 18 men. The bottom line is that the Blues were looking at three of four signings as the window closed. They sealed only two deals. That still leaves Conte short of the depth required to challenge on four fronts.
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The current batch of players should be enough to see Chelsea through to January. There are still two international breaks to come after this one, meaning that there is less football to play than you may expect.
If Chelsea can stay injury-free, they can genuinely build on their impressive Tottenham and Everton wins. As Champions League and EFL Cup football begins, Conte will need to rotate his players around. Fortunately, there is now cover for Victor Moses in Zappacosta, while Cesar Azpilicueta will likely double up as cover for Marcos Alonso.
Meanwhile, Danny Drinkwater takes the team’s tally of quality central midfielders to four. He has a chance to rekindle his extremely successful partnership with N’Golo Kante.
However, the Blues are only positioned to deal with sporadic injuries. Should more than one individual in each position be sidelined, then Conte is on the boundaries of his squad. The striker role is a particular concern too, with only Michy Batshuayi sitting behind Alvaro Morata. The Belgian’s form thus far doesn’t inspire confidence if he is needed to step in for a midweek fixture.
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Hence, Chelsea officials should be aware that more deals will probably be required in January. Moreover, they should also refrain from leaving the business to be done on deadline day.