Chelsea have three alternatives under consideration if they decide to cut short the loan of Denis Zakaria in January.
The Swiss international arrived late in the summer transfer window after the club failed to secure any of its desired midfield targets,, but, so far, he has failed to play a single minute for the West London side.
Whilst Graham Potter insists that he is part of his plans, and no decision has yet been made about his future, the evidence suggests otherwise, and Zakaria may be a victim of the change of regime at Stamford Bridge.
Instead, the club are likely to try and strengthen in the middle of the park in January, especially as it is not known when N’Golo Kanté will return to full fitness again.
Among the names under consideration are Edson Alvarez of Ajax, Ibrahim Sangate of PSV Eindhoven, and Southampton’s Romeo Lavia.
Given that Chelsea are previously reported to have bids for all three turned down in the summer, there appears to be some credibility to these links.
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.