5 players Chelsea could have signed in the 2022 January transfer window
Chelsea have a grueling second half of the 2021-22 season ahead of them. They will start things off by facing Al Hilal in the FIFA Club World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday (February 9).
Although the Premier League title appears beyond Chelsea's reach, Thomas Tuchel and co. are still fighting for silverware on multiple fronts this season. They have been handed a favorable UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie against Lille and will also play the EFL Carabao Cup final against Liverpool.
The Blues are also still alive in the FA Cup and will face Luton Town in the fifth round.
Chelsea's attackers continue to fire blanks
The London-based club shelled out nearly £300million on Kai Havertz, Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic. However, Chelsea's attack has been supremely underwhelming this season. The likes of Reece James, Mason Mount and Jorginho have outscored their more expensive attacking teammates.
Meanwhile, the team's defensive solidity, which has been their trademark under Tuchel, has been hit by a spate of injuries to key players. James and Ben Chilwell have been sidelined with significant knocks while the contract situations of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger have only complicated matters.
Nonetheless, Chelsea refrained from spending in the winter window and have no choice but to hope their attackers can rediscover their form. On that note, here are five players the Blues could have targeted in the winter transfer window.
#5 Lucas Digne
Injuries to Chilwell and James meant fans expected Chelsea to purchase a full-back in the winter window. French left-back Lucas Digne's falling out with former Everton boss Rafa Benitez made the 28-year-old the ideal target.
It briefly appeared as though it was only a matter of time before the full-back would arrived at Stamford Bridge.
Lucas Digne will leave Everton in the January transfer window. #Chelsea, Inter Milan and Napoli are interested. They are prepared to let the defender leave on loan with an option to buy at the end of the season.
[via @AlfredoPedulla]
With seven assists in each of his last two Premier League seasons, Digne's ability to drive up the flank and put in a good cross could have helped the Blues. However, Chelsea hesitated which allowed Aston Villa to swoop in and sign the Frenchman for £25million.
#4 Niklas Sule
Another player who was linked with a move to Stamford Bridge was Bayern Munich centre-back Niklas Sule. The 26-year-old German's unwillingness to renew his contract with the Bavarian giants has been an open secret in recent months.
With the Blues facing difficulties in their attempts to tie down Rudiger and Christensen to new deals, a move for Sule made perfect sense. Bayern were reportedly willing to negotiate a cut-price fee rather than lose him for free at the end of the season.
Tuchel's Bundesliga connections were also expected to help facilitate a deal.
Borussia Dortmund has signed Niklas Süle for the 2022/23 season ✍️ https://t.co/WC7EeffRXj
However, the Blues decided to wait until the summer, which provided Borussia Dortmund with an opening. It has now been officially announced that Sule will join Dortmund on a free transfer at the end of the ongoing campaign.