Ins and Outs at Chelsea this January

This may be to first season for a while now that Chelsea really does not need to look into the January transfer market. With ‘Big Phil’s’ bunch only suffering their second defeat of the Premier League at the hands of the Gunners, there is no real reason to expand an already composed squad, with CEO Peter Kenyon denying Chelsea will make signings in the market.

The defence has been solid in most matches this season so far. A stat to prove this is that Robin Van Persie’s brace in the London derby on Saturday were the first goals Chelsea have conceded in the second half this entire campaign. That is quite an achievement after fifteen matches. Anelka, Lampard, and Bosingwa have all been outstanding this season and they rightful deserve to keep their place in the starting eleven.

The only real problem for Chelsea is that they are not shooting enough. Scolari said it himself, that the Blues are only starting to manufacture “one or two big chances” in each match, that they need to start shooting from further out. They missed out on what seemed a certain coup of obtaining the signature of Brazilian ace Robinho from Real Madrid in the summer. A signing, one would have thought, that would ideally suit an outfit like Chelsea and may just have given them that extra creative brilliance in the final third.

If Chelsea is to buy anyone at all I think they need an attacking midfielder. Someone who is not afraid to shoot but, at the same time can set up others around him. A player of the caliber of David Silva at Valencia could be a possible target. His impressive performances at Euro 2008 emphasized he is no slouch at scoring from all parts of the field. However, it is not really necessary at all as Chelsea have the depth to aid almost any situation on the field.

My Target: David Silva (Valencia FC)

After only getting minimal opportunity in the squad this season up till now, I think players like Belleti and Malouda will be looking at their options this transfer market.

News has also surfaced that the former Lyon playmaker has caused a rift at the Bridge and that he certainly won’t be receiving any Christmas cards from some of the lads at the club. He only managed a substitute performance against Arsenal, and coming from a club that has won their respective league title for many seasons, and a team he was guaranteed a spot in the first eleven, he might be starting to get a little frustrated with the amount of opportunities becoming available. It’s the same case with Belleti, he played a decent season last year and scored some absolute rockets, however the impressive Jose Bosingwa has kept him out of the team.

Both of these players might just be starting to open the door and put a welcome mat outside for clubs with a guarantee of first team football. But after hearing the rumour of Malouda’s possible rift at the club, it may be time for him to leave, even though it seems like he just arrived.

My Most Likely To Leave: Florent Malouda

Chelsea fans, who do you think will be coming at and leaving Stamford Bridge this January?

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