Varied Chelsea rumors point towards a splash in January

Normally, Chelsea rumors leading up to January point towards one player. This time, the rumors are varied which hints at a bigger splash.

Chelsea is facing the prospect of a transfer ban. Whether or not that actually happens remains to be seen but the notion is there. If it were to happen, Chelsea would need to be making moves now to insure they get through the ban on the right side of things.

And moves are being made now. Several key players are getting extensions. This could be just a rush to insure a core stays at the club, but the number of extensions is noteworthy.

Furthermore, Chelsea is not being linked to just one type of player in January but several. That would be a splash not seen in January for some time and could be a hint at building a roster capable of lasting through a ban. In addition, several older, less used players may be on the outs now while the getting is good and Chelsea can bring in replacements.

Over the last month, Chelsea has been linked to wingers, strikers, center backs, and center midfielders. Some of the names come up commonly such as Christian Pulisic or Nabil Fekir. Others fade in and out of newspaper headlines. But the fact that they are so varied is telling.

Varied rumors point towards varied targets. If Chelsea was only being linked to strikers than it would be unexpected to see them bring in more than one player (in this case, a striker). But several good sources have spread out the positions to be targeted which hints at several incoming players.

Part of this is that many seem to be on the way out or considering it. Cesc Fabregas and Gary Cahill see how little they are playing at Chelsea and know they can earn minutes elsewhere. Victor Moses and possibly Danny Drinkwater reside in the same boat.

The club is looking for more than replacements though; they appear to be looking to ensure a future. The contract extensions point to this in one way, the age of many supposed targets in another. A transfer ban is rumored to be up to two years so a young, malleable squad is a must.

Maurizio Sarri may be getting just that. With older players leaving, players entering their peaks extending, and young players coming in (both from the academy and the market), the club could survive the long two years. It also blends well with Sarri’s preference to coach players rather than buy missing pieces.

If a ban is happening, the club would be forewarned. And if any of these rumors are true, it appears that they are laying the ground work to survive the ban. Two years is a long time to go without refreshing the squad and the last two summers Chelsea failed to refresh, they ended up outside of the Champions League the next year.

But Sarri is supposed to be different and he will have a might task on his hands if the ban goes through. But Chelsea do appear to be doing due diligence in that event to give him a squad ready for a very long slog without reinforcements.