ChelseaThe season has stabilized in recent weeks, however Enzo MarescaStill, starting life in the bunker is a triumph. The critical part of moving forward is to take this exciting progress and push it to greater heights.
There is a general focus on offloading some Blues players this year as Chelsea look to commit to him Premier League PSR rules while creating literal and financial space to make well-placed improvements.
But what are BlueCo really looking to achieve in the transfer market this month? The west London side may not be ready to clinch the Premier League title, but one or two fine signings over the coming weeks could make a big difference in the long term.
Chelsea's winter transfer plans
While departures will take up more space in the discourse this month, Chelsea will make first-team signings if they feel the right opportunities come along.
Chelsea are ready to sell Renato Vega, 21, next January after the player announced his desire to venture out to play more first-team football.
It is a huge blow to lose a young talent who only arrived last summer, but Todd Buhle's foundation has paid around £12m for the Basel star and he could be handed to Borussia Dortmund, who reportedly have an interest in signing him. For up to £29 million.
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Renato Vega – Conference League Statistics (24/25) |
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|---|---|
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Match statistics* |
# |
|
Matches (start) |
6 (6) |
|
Objectives |
2 |
|
Helps |
1 |
|
touches* |
98.0 |
|
Complete the pass |
90% |
|
Key passes* |
1.7 |
|
The quirks are complete |
0.7 |
|
recover the ball* |
5.5 |
|
Interventions + Interceptions * |
2.3 |
|
Total duels (won)* |
3.0 (51%) |
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Statistics via SofaScore (* = for each game) |
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Ben Chilwell and Cesar Casadei is also expected to ply his trade elsewhere Before the end of the month.
If Chelsea were to bring in someone this month, it would most likely be at centre-back. Paul Winstanley and company appear to be biding their time, although there is one man at the top of their shopping list.
Move focus
Big money deals, controversial moves and big name flops. This is the home of Football FanCast transfer news and opinions.
Maresca is eyeing a new centre-back for Chelsea
Wesley Fofana will be sidelined and may not return until the end of the season, with Benoit Badiashelli absent due to injury. For this reason, Chelsea's courses refrained from ruling out the inclusion of another centre-back before the end of the season.
Selhurst Park appears to be the likely target of the raid. Trevo Chalupa is currently on loan at Crystal Palace and could be recalled, however Mark Guehi It is the shiny prize.
According to caught sneakingChelsea are leading the race for Guihi, who are they? He was sold to Palace for £18m in 2021 After graduating from Cobham Academy, it was noted that they were the only “serious contenders” for his signature.
Chelsea are said to be “pushing to re-sign” the centre-back and have been given a boost by revealing that Liverpool are not in the race for the England international, and they will need to avoid spurious interest from Newcastle United, who have seen a A series of offers reaching £65m were rejected For Guehi last summer.
Guehi, 24, is in the penultimate year of his contract with the Eagles and could be dissuaded from extending his deal given the high-profile machinations to his name.
What will Marc Guehi bring to Chelsea?
An established and experienced Premier League defender with his prime ahead of him? Checks. A Blues youngster, with an attachment and love for Stamford Bridge and its residents? Check again.
Guehi is at full capacity, with qualities honed within a solid Palace backline that has overcome its share of adversity over the past few years while also making improvements to his game under Oliver Glasner this season, ostensibly the south Londoner's most progressive manager in recent seasons. . .
Chelsea will welcome a defensive strength into their ranks, with Guehi winning 66% of his ground encounters in the Premier League this season. According to Sovascorcapitalizing on his reputation as the “beast” in the ass Crystal Palace correspondent Bobby Manzi.
He is also displaying the kind of lively and dynamic skills that Maresca aspires to, as he averages 0.4 key passes and 0.5 dribbles per game, succeeding on 82% of his attempts to carry the ball.
Who knows, this could be a deal that emulates Liverpool's transformative signing of Southampton's Virgil van Dijk in January 2018, with Jurgen Klopp's side. Paying a record fee of £75 million For the Netherlands star.
The Reds needed to strengthen their defense and Van Dijk – the Dutch giant who became one of the greatest defenders of his generation – helped revolutionize Liverpool's side, leading from behind as Europe's biggest trophies were lifted.
Guehi carries the same kind of beguiling indifference as Van Dijk. Although “deception” is certainly the key word, the Englishman is an intelligent reader of the game who has a kind of perceptive awareness of an opponent's attacks, and places himself in a position to extinguish or repel the danger.
Analyst Ben Mattinson He actually praised Guehi for being “one of those all-rounders who can play both sides equally comfortably.” This is certainly in the same vein as Van Dijk, who is right-footed but has used his art on the left side of Liverpool's backline throughout his career.
A signing of this caliber could prove to send Maresca's project to the next level, mirroring Liverpool's stunning takeover in being a move in January, yes, but also a raid on a rival further down the ladder, so to speak.
Not surprisingly, Guehi has been described as a “dominant” defender. Talent scout Jacek Kulej. He is still on the fringes of his prime years, and like Van Dijk on Merseyside, could be the catalyst for a brilliant spell at Chelsea under Maresca's wing, complementing and balancing an extremely talented squad.
