5 players Chelsea could target in the January transfer window
There is no doubting that Chelsea have made an excellent start to the Premier League season, unbeaten after 12 games. They currently sit third in the league, and despite being very much the outsiders, they will still have an eye on the title.
Much of Chelsea’s strong start has been down to the impressive impact made by new manager Maurizio Sarri. The former Napoli boss has bought a new brand of attractive football to Stamford Bridge, which looks to have worked wonders on the pitch.
The Blues have been well off the quality of Manchester City so far this year, and despite their good start, it seems most likely that the Cityzens will once again run away with the Premier League title.
However, Chelsea are still competing on four fronts and will have their eyes on winning at least one piece of silverware. They are the only side in Europe’s top five leagues still unbeaten in all competitions so far this season, and they are favourites for the Europa League title.
There have been some real standout performers for Chelsea so far this season. Eden Hazard looks better than ever, Marcos Alonso has proved himself to be one of the best attacking left backs in the world, while Jorginho has adapted well to the Premier League.
But there is still a possibility that Chelsea will look to bring in reinforcements when the January transfer window comes around. There have been questions asked about a couple of players in the squad, and Sarri may want to bring in the type of quality that will help bring titles to Stamford Bridge.
Here are 5 men Chelsea could target in January:
#1 Nathan Ake (Bournemouth)
One area where Chelsea may wish to bring in players is at centre back. Currently, Antonio Rudiger and David Luiz have started every Premier League game at the heart of the defence, with Andreas Christensen and Gary Cahill left in reserve.
There have been rumours linking the pair with a move away from Stamford Bridge in January, with both at a stage in their career where they want to be playing regular football.
In that case, Sarri will not want to have only two senior centre-halves in his squad, especially given that Luiz still appears rash at times. Ake has impressed at Bournemouth since making the permanent move from Chelsea in 2017, and he is now regarded as one of the league’s top central defenders.
There is a lot of interest in him from the Premier League’s top clubs, given his defensive attributes, and ability to bring the ball out from the back, but Chelsea have the opportunity to match any bid made for him, as part of the deal made to sell him to the Cherries.