Chelsea’s season might well ride on what owner Roman Abramovich decides to do in January. Will he provide the funds for Chelsea to go out and buy two or three new players, or will be continue his philosophy of making Chelsea self-sufficient?
There is no doubt that Chelsea need some new, experienced players. Going into the season with only two true center-defenders was asking for trouble, especially as Chelsea knew of the injuries that John Terry has been carrying for the last couple of seasons. Chelsea need to buy two center-halfs. One to help right now, and one for the future.
Nobody expected the injuries would decimate Chelsea’s midfield. Frank Lampard missed over three months of action and Yossi Benayoun has been injured also. I am also not sold that Ramires is a good fit for the Premier League. What has frustrated me the most this season has been the play of Michael Essien. Essien is one of the best midfielders in the world, but has not played like one this season.
Up front Chelsea have struggled without a fully fit Didier Drogba. My worry about Chelsea’s forwards is age. Anelka and Drogba have a lot of miles on them and are both heading towards the last 18 months of their contracts. Chelsea has tried to save some money with young forwards like Kalou and Sturridge but neither of them are close to the caliber of Anelka and Drogba. This is certainly an area that Chelsea need to strengthen, but top center-forwards are expensive and I don’t know if Abramovich is willing to sanction a 30 or 40 million pound bid for a quality center-forward.
This is a critical part of the season for Chelsea. There is no doubt that with a healthy Terry, Essien, Lampard and Drogba that Chelsea are one of the top teams in the Premier League. But if any of them are injured then Chelsea struggle and with Spurs and Man City spending the money I am really concerned that Chelsea will miss out on Champions League football next season.
What do you think Roman Abramovich will do in January? Will he invest more money into Chelsea or will the transfer window pass with very little action from the Blues?
