5 players Chelsea are monitoring

It was announced last week that Chelsea’s transfer ban would be lifted for the January transfer window, allowing them to bring in reinforcements and strengthen their squad for the remainder of the season. We’ve looked at 5 players who are linked with a move to Stamford Bridge and what each signing could bring to the club.

Jadon Sancho’s short time at Borussia Dortmund has attracted the attention of various European clubs and he has been linked with a move away from the Signal Iduna Park. The latest club linked with the England winger is Chelsea, which makes sense considering the options that Chelsea currently have at right-wing, with both Pedro and Willian both getting on a bit. With the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool also being linked with Sancho, Chelsea have the advantage of being based in London (where Sancho is from), so it could be a key factor in where Sancho will go should he chose to leave Dortmund. In 58 Bundesliga games for Dortmund, Sancho has scored 20 goals and assisted 29 goals, including 7 goals and 8 assists in 12 league games this season. Chelsea are rumoured to be preparing a £100m offer for Sancho to bring him to Stamford Bridge.

Despite the excellent form of Tammy Abraham this season where the young striker has scored 11 goals in 15 Premier League games this season, it would be wise for Chelsea to increase their attacking options and Timo Werner is one of the names being mentioned. Michy Batshuayi and Olivier Giroud are good options to have, but they aren’t capable of producing the same form as Abraham and Werner. Since joining RB Leipzig back in 2016, Werner has made a name for himself as one of the best attackers in Europe, scoring 81 goals in 136 games for the German side, including 20 goals in 22 games this season. Not only is Werner a talented goalscorer, he is also a creative player who is capable of playing on the wing as well as down the middle. So should Chelsea have injury problems on the wing or at attacking midfield, Werner would be able to step in and perform.

After being heavily linked with a move away from Selhurst Park at the beginning of the season with both Everton and Arsenal being interested, Wilfried Zaha is once again rumoured with a move away, this time it’s Chelsea who are linked with him. Zaha doesn’t have the goalscoring record of Timo Werner but it’s his Premier League experience and adaptability that makes him a useful player to have, as he his capable of playing down the middle as a centre-forward and on either wing. Zaha scored 10 goals and assisted 10 goals in 34 Premier League appearances for Crystal Palace last season, there’s no doubt that Zaha would score more goals and get more assists if he was surrounded by the quality of players that Chelsea possesses. Considering that Zaha is the only player on this list who is proven and experienced in the Premier League, it could be worth considering him over other options.

Lyon striker Moussa Dembele is another player who is being monitored by Chelsea to strengthen their attacking options. Dembele made a name for himself during his brilliant time at Celtic where he scored 51 goals in 94 games, which persuaded Lyon to sign the French striker. Since joining the French side, Dembele has continued his goal-scoring form, where he has scored 30 goals in 68 appearances. Despite making over 200 professional appearances, Dembele is still a young player who is capable of improving as he is only 23-years-old.

Another name linked with Chelsea is Russian and CSKA Moscow attacker Fyodor Chalov. The 21-year-old had scored 36 goals and registered 19 assists in 112 appearances for CSKA Moscow, including 6 goals and 5 assists this season. There isn’t really too much to say regarding Chalov as he is yet to make an appearance for the Russian national team or make a name for himself in the Champions League or the Europa League, but he is a young player who has shown that he is capable of scoring goals and has potential to be a talented goalscorer.