With Chelsea getting ready to face Norwich City on Saturday, Jose Mourinho was lively in his press conference on Friday. One of the most interesting remarks that came from the Portuguese manager was his comment on the January transfer window.
I will not ask the board for any changes in January. I’m happy with my players, I trust my players, I don’t need to clean the dressing room or ask the club to spend money. We put ourselves in a great situation together by being champions, now we have to be together again to put this situation back in the right place.
This quote should come as a surprise to most Chelsea fans, many of whom have been counting the days ’til January. I, along with most people in football, believed that Chelsea would use the window to bolster their squad and make the moves that they probably should have made over the summer.
It is important to point out that these comments should be taken with a grain of salt. Mourinho is known to say one thing and do another.
In December of 2014, Mourinho told ESPN FC:
We can’t lose players for a long period of time, but our project is to start and finish the season with the same group of players, so there will be nobody to leave and nobody to come in either.
In this quote, he basically explained that he had no plans to add or sell players in January of 2015. Then, Chelsea sold Andre Schurrle and purchased Juan Cuadrado. While the success of this move is up for debate, it goes to show that he didn’t stick to his word.
Whether or not he’s playing mind games is anyone’s guess, though the smart money should be on that he will make transfers.
Regardless of his plan at this point, Chelsea should be prepared to spend money in January. They have to.
There are a few players that I would expect to leave in January. Papy Djilobodji will most likely be on the way out, having only played a few minutes at the end of a League Cup game. He wasn’t a Mourinho purchase and doesn’t look like he’ll ever get into the side.
There are rumours that Falcao’s loan deal will be cut short, though this will likely only happen if Chelsea are able to find a replacement for the Colombian. Whether that’s taken care of by the return of Patrick Bamford and/or Dom Solanke from loan, or if they look to purchase a player, remains to be seen. However, Chelsea have several priorities that must be addressed in January.
They have to sign a centre back, and one that Mourinho will be comfortable to use immediately. They have absolutely zero depth at this position, excluding Kurt Zouma, who has been utilized on the right in Branislav Ivanovic’s absence.
They may choose to revisit Everton’s John Stones, or perhaps look elsewhere. Stones would be the perfect buy if Chelsea can convince the Englishman to join the Blues and Everton to sell.
The Blues could probably do with signing another fullback as well, as they really only have 3 in their squad, barring Ola Aina and Zouma. It’ll be interesting to see where they look to fill that place, but it should be a priority in January.
Furthermore, Chelsea need another deep midfielder. Fabregas should no longer be considered a successful member of the pivot, and the West Londoners must look elsewhere.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek is also an option to lineup next to Matic, though Mourinho doesn’t seem ready to put this much trust in the Englishman.
Overall, there are several gaping holes in Chelsea’s squad. The Blues really should be entering the transfer market in January. It is likely that Mourinho is playing mind games and the West Londoners will in fact be active.
It’ll be interesting to see if Chelsea can turn around their form before January, and what effect that will have on their moves in the window.
