The winter transfer window deadline has passed and Chelsea have had a celebrated case. The West Londeners have arguably had one of the best transfer windows in the club’s history. Boehly’s team have clearly outcompeted every other club by finding and exposing the loopholes in the Financial Fair Play regulations. This window saw Chelsea making bold moves where they spent huge sums of money on Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk, filling up lacunas by landing Benoit Badiashile and Noni Madueke, and also securing Malo Gusto, David Datro Fofana and Andrey Santos for the future. Joao Felix too left Madrid to aid the Chelsea attack on a loan deal until the end of the season.
However that was the feel-good story. The fact that Chelsea stand 10th on the league table after securing just 29 points of the 20 matches played still haunts the CFC supporters. The Blues are 10 points away from securing UCL football next season, which initially seemed to be a Herculean task. But the additions to the squad have definitely made it attainable. The recruitment team have done their job meticulously and if everything goes to plan the Blues can successful stun the other contenders. Of all the signings, this trio is likely to have the greatest influence in this beautiful comeback story.
Mykhailo Mudryk
The Ukrainian wonderkid who moved to the Blue side of London from Shakhtar Donetsk in search of the right project is one of the players who Chelsea will depend on heavily for his pace and ability to dribble past players in the final third. His electric pace and technical ability is exactly what this Blues attack was missing and that was proved after Mudryk was introduced in the second half against Liverpool.
It only took 35 minutes for the Ukraine international to complete more dribbles than any other player on the pitch. Mudryk had no play time since November, but still looked very sharp earning plaudits from multiple legends after his debut. The supporters have been craving for a sight of such a player ever since Eden Hazard left for Real Madrid. Mudryk can win points by himself and his skills will be enhanced by the quality support he’ll have alongside.
Benoit Badiashile
The 6’4″ giant has come in and cemented his place in the squad in no time. After the departure of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen to the Spanish giants, Chelsea’s incapacitated defence needed reinforcements. Typically, Boehly’s team did well to secure top players namely Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana. However, Potter’s hapless side did not only lose their English wingback duo through injuries, but Fofana too. The Senegalese skipper too struggled after a few decent displays leaving the left side of the defence exposed.
Veteran Thiago Silva desperately needed a consistent partner who could support him alongside. And within a couple of games, Badiashile has proved to be the fix to the problem. The backline has looked rather stable and ready to help the side in their pursuit of a spot in the top four.
New Chelsea man Enzo Fernandez
The deadline day could not get any more dramatic with the Enzo Fernandez breaking the British record fee. The Argentine wonderkid made his long awaited switch to London, credit to our owners who were heavily involved and made this possible. Enzo Fernandez too played a crucial role in helping Chelsea secure him, the midfielder made his intentions clear and pushed for a move throughout the negotiations while Benfica tried their level best to have him around until the summer at least.
CFC now have a gem at their disposal and could not have replaced their vice captain Jorginho in a better way. Fernandez has already showcased his abilities in Argentina’s historic World Cup campaign where he won the award for the Young Player of the Tournament. Although, the Argentine International is a box to box midfielder, he’s got the attributes of a deep lying playmaker too. His complete skillset will definitely aid Potter when it comes to assigning roles. His instinct to play the ball into the final third is what the Blues‘ midfield were lacking.
The midfield was caught far too often by opponents due to their predictable gameplay, passing the ball to the backline in most of the scenarios. However Fernandez is not afraid to take risks, he’s known for his ball progression. Also, with the likes of Joao Felix and Mykhailo Mudryk up front, Enzo switching up the play quickly could lead to be a huge threat to the opponents. The west London outfit‘s supporters are eager to watch Enzo function in a pivot with N’Golo Kante who is expected to return within a month which would change the look of the entire side.