"You need that" - Chelsea legend wants Todd Boehly and Graham Potter to follow Arsenal's plans
Former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink believes the Blues need to take a cue from Arsenal's transfer strategy to overturn their current rut.
The Gunners have built a young and exciting squad under Mikel Arteta. However, they also introduced experience into the squad when they signed Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City last summer.
The duo have proven to be excellent additions as Arsenal sit at the top of the Premier League table.
Chelsea, meanwhile, spent over £250 million last summer but are struggling and are 10th in the table, 10 points behind the UEFA Champions League spots.
Hasselbaink praised the Gunners' strategy and claimed that the Blues need to follow them. He told Sky Sports:
“They want young, exciting and the best young players here and they’re looking for the future. But you also need players who can come in and make the team better straight away, who can wear and handle the shirt and win games.”
The Dutchman added:
“You need players who have Premier League experience, players who have won medals. [Look at] what Arsenal have done with Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, what Manchester United have done with Casemiro. You need that at Chelsea.”
The west London side have already made two signings in the January transfer window. They welcomed striker David Datro Fofana from Molde SK and defender Benoit Badiashile from AS Monaco.
Welcome to Chelsea, Benoit Badiashile! 👊
#BonjourBenoit 🇫🇷 https://t.co/4Hn38DZEnL
Chelsea have also signed Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig but the French forward will join the club in the summer.
The Gunners, meanwhile, have been linked with the likes of Mykhaylo Mudryk, Joao Felix and Alejandro Balde. However, they are yet to sign a player in the ongoing transfer window.
Arsenal and Chelsea involved in transfer battle for Mykhaylo Mudryk
As per The Guardian, the London rivals are highly interested in bringing in Mykhaylo Mudryk to the Premier League this January.
Arsenal reportedly made a bid of around £62 million to Shakhtar Donetsk but the Ukrainian club rejected it as they believe Mudryk is worth around £89 million.
This could see Chelsea swoop in to sign the winger. They met with the Ukrainian's representatives in London earlier in the week and might look to make an offer of around £80 million, including add-ons.
As per the aforementioned report, Arsenal are still ahead of the Blues in the race as Mudryk prefers a move to the Emirates. Hence, if both clubs present a similar offer to Shakhtar, the winger will likely choose to join the Gunners.
Chelsea could hijack Arsenal’s move for Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhailo Mudryk. (The Guardian) https://t.co/DsGsHbz7fS
Mudryk has scored 10 goals and provided eight assists in 18 games across competitions this season for the Miners.