Sancho, Werner, and more: Rating Chelsea's chances of landing reported January transfer targets
After a fast and impressive start to the 2019/20 Premier League season, Chelsea have shown signs of slowing down over the last couple of months. Frank Lampard, appointed as the head coach of the club prior to the start of the season, has done a superb job so far at the helm of Stamford Bridge. It is also important to acknowledge the circumstances that surrounded his appointment in the summer as Chelsea were banned from the transfer market and deal with the losses of key players such as club Eden Hazard and David Luiz.
Mateo Kovacic was on loan at the London club last season and a deal was found to make the move a permanent one. He was one of the two new faces that Chelsea managed to add despite their ban, with a deal to bring Christian Pulisic to Stamford Bridge agreed in the winter before. While the Croatian has earned plaudits for consistent performances this season, the American is yet to find his feet.
Lampard's remarkable work so far sees them sit 4th in the Premier League and in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League. The upliftment of the transfer ban could not have come at a better time for the Blues.
Currently in need of reinforcements in several areas, Chelsea have understandably been linked to a number of players. Here, we rate the chances of Chelsea signing their reported targets.
Kalidou Koulibaly
Napoli's defensive rock Kalidou Koulibaly is one of the names that has been linked constantly with a move to Stamford Bridge. This is, of course, with good reason considering Chelsea's evidently weak defence coupled with untimely injuries to Antonio Rudiger. Apart from the German, there isn't a whole lot of experienced heads at the back, and this relative inexperience has been one of the key talking points of their season so far.
Koulibaly will be an ideal fix as the 28-year-old has been one of the most consistent defenders in world football. A leader at the back, the Senegalese would slot into and take charge of the Blues' rearguard with ease and almost immediately take it a few notches higher.
Reports have suggested that Koulibaly could be on his way out of Naples come summer despite Napoli rebuffing Manchester United's approaches for the defender as recently as last summer. If he does move, Chelsea is certainly an attractive option. The major issue, though, is that Napoli are unlikely to sell their prized asset midway through the season as they seek to seal Champions League qualification.
Transfer likelihood rating: 5/10. Napoli are under no pressure to sell and will not part with the defender this winter.