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Chelsea: Acquisitions to the squad the Blues should consider in January

By Michael DeVito

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 27: A sunset behind the corner flag inside the stadium ahead the FA Cup Fourth Round match between Chelsea and Sheffield Wednesday at Stamford Bridge on January 27, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 27: A sunset behind the corner flag inside the stadium ahead the FA Cup Fourth Round match between Chelsea and Sheffield Wednesday at Stamford Bridge on January 27, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 28: N’Golo Kante of Chelsea battles for possession with John McGinn of Aston Villa during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on December 28, 2020 in London, England. The match will be played without fans, behind closed doors as a Covid-19 precaution. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 28: N’Golo Kante of Chelsea battles for possession with John McGinn of Aston Villa during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on December 28, 2020 in London, England. The match will be played without fans, behind closed doors as a Covid-19 precaution. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /

Second, the Blues have to bring in a big, tough midfielder with talent. They mistakenly sold one of the same, Mario Pasalic, 1.88M tall (almost 6’2″ tall) to Atalanta for 16.5M pounds before he had ever played even one game in the blue of Chelsea. Yet, Pasalic has gone on to help Atalanta to Champions League qualification and real competitiveness. That gaffe notwithstanding, Chelsea should move for another big, tough, qualified midfielder to play as a No. 8 to add steel to that part of the pitch for the Blues.

The name that comes readily to mind is Serbian national Sergej Milikovic-Savic who currently plies his trade for Lazio in Serie A in Italy. Milinkovic-Savic is another tall, stout player who stands 1.90m or more than 6’2″ tall. Again, a player to add steel to the Chelsea midfield in this case. And he’s talented as well. He has three goals and four assists in 11 appearances for Lazio thus far in Serie A.

Here, on the second level, the Blues would add another player who can contend physically and talent-wise with the best in the Premier League or any other league for that matter. Not inexpensive, his transfermarkt valuation at 71.50M. But again, sales in midfield help finance this acquisition, as well.

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Outgoing can be Jorginho who has been relegated to squad player under Lampard. And Jorginho will fetch a good return for the right team. In addition, the team has to decide if they will stick with N’Golo Kante as their defensive midfield stopper.

Kante will be 30 years old next March. He has a lot of miles on his legs for certain. Should Chelsea sell him potentially a year too early rather than a year too late? That question needs to be answered. His transfermarkt valuation is $66M and he has played well if not flawlessly this season thus far. Yet, the key has been his fitness which has been excellent in 2020/21 and that will be an enticement for big teams in Europe. In addition, Ross Barkley has been a solid addition for Aston Villa and a sale could also be in the offing, if as it seems, he is not in Lampard’s plans. So potentially, funds for this or another midfield addition could very well be available.

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