Chelsea transfer roundup 1 January to 9 January 2022

2. Chelsea learn the price of Sergino Dest, but move unlikely

Starting the season with only a single right wingback has taken a toll on Chelsea’s title race this season as it lost Reece James to a long-term injury during a hectic Christmas period. With this injury, Tuchel has tried multiple players in this wingback positions—like Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson Odoi and others—but this only resulted in the team playing below par. Players like Pulisic could not showcase their true attacking prowess from this area of the pitch either.

Now, with the winter transfer window open, the club could strengthen this position with Barcelona full back Sergino Dest being continuously linked with the Blues. Everyone is familiar with the Spanish side’s financial woes. Barca’s lack of ability to move fringe players on high wages means that it could be forced to sell some of its prized assets. Dest could be one of those players, even though the highly-rated defender was just signed by the Blaugrana 18 months ago.

This season, the American international has struggled for game time, majorly due to a series of injuries he’s suffered throughout the year. But even when Dest got the opportunity to play, he was playing all over the pitch. A right back in trait, Dest has been played as a right winger just as many times as a right back and the signing of Dani Alves also raised some eyebrows regarding the future of the young full back. Having bought Dest from Ajax for £18.9 million, multiple reports claim that the Catalonian club will ask around £30-35 million for his services. Recent reports have also suggested that Dest’s agent is due for talks with the club over his future. With Chelsea preparing an offer behind the scenes and waiting for the results of these talks, it is important to remember that the club’s priority is to bring in a left wingback. Therefore, we can expect this saga to go on for quite some time if the left wingback situation is not sorted relatively soon.