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When Chelsea’s transfer ban was lifted in December, it was widely assumed that they would be one of the big spenders in the January window, with talk of the club having up to £150 million to spend on new players.
In the event though, there were no major incomings or outgoings at Stamford Bridge, with the club failing to bring in the new striker that manager Frank Lampard wanted, despite rumours linking then with moves for the likes of Edison Cavani, Dries Mertens, Moussa Dembélé and, earlier in the month, Jadon Sancho.
Now Lampard was warned that the club’s inertia in the transfer market could put them at a disadvantage as they compete for a top-four finish, with a number of their potential rivals, such as Manchester United and Tottenham, for a Champions League place having strengthened in January.
And, in a disguised barb at the club’s board he has said “ “The reality of the fact we will not do business here for whatever reason and, when you look around, every time I look at the TV another player signs for a club. That’s the transfer window.
We know that recruitment is huge for a team that wants to be successful.”
Chelsea earned a valuable point at Leicester on Saturday, but it was a defender. Antonio Rüdiger, who got their two goals.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.