London is Blue Dispatch #026

To say 2023 was a nightmare would make it the understatement of the year just four days into 2024. The end of the year was hopefully a precursor to better things, as the Blues managed four wins in five to drag ourselves just four points off 7^th place. With the season now a little past the halfway mark, January presents a tiny window with potentially big repercussions. Here are a few positions and names you should be keeping an eye out on.

Midfield Depth

Injuries have yet again been definitive this season. Lesley Ugochukwu has missed quite a few with injury, while Romeo Lavia has played 32 minutes all season. Enzo’s form has been hampered by a troublesome hernia, meaning we played effectively with only two fit CM options. With Conor Gallagher’s contract up next season, there is a worrying gap in central midfield depth now and later, with little room for rotation. Spending though, isn’t the only option. Andrey Santos, who featured in preseason, has returned from a horrid loan at Forest and could be a useful stop gap until summer. Makes little sense to buy someone like a Joao Palhinha (who Fulham will ask two kidneys for in Jan anyway) when the problem is short term.

Left-Back

Four fullbacks out injured at one point was misfortune squared, but with Gusto returning strong and Chilwell already training with the squad it is now a subsiding migraine. With Cucurella out and Maatsen linked strongly with a move to Dortmund, Poch must decide whether he sees Colwill as a long term fit in the hybrid role or if there’s value in investing in a leftback capable of challenging Chilwell long term. The obvious qualities required are height + aerial strength, good recovery speed and overlapping ability that could enhance the effectiveness of Mudryk and Sterling on the left. This profile would be hard to find in Jan, and may not be value for money. There could be better openings in summer, with Alphonso Davies seemingly not required at Bayern and one last hurrah for Milan’s Theo Hernandez perhaps inevitable. But in Jan, I expect crickets chirping.

Center-Forward

With Nico Jackson off to AFCON, there is also a worrying hole in the CF position with Broja unconvincing (albeit it is easy to empathize after his return from the worst injury an athlete like him could pick up.) If Senegal reach the final, Jackson could miss the FA Cup tie vs Preston, both legs of the Carabao Cup semi vs Middlesbrough, and league games against Fulham, Liverpool, Wolves and Palace. The striker market, however, sells you grapes at the prices of caviar, and that may well shape the thinking of the eventual fix.

An experienced, low-risk striker who offers box quality could well be worth a punt. Can’t rule out a loan either after the whole Joao Felix in Jan deal that had pulses racing. Interestingly, Felix’s first league game was Fulham, which could be the new striker’s first league game too. One to keep an eye on could be Mauro Icardi. The Argentinian forward has worked with Poch, and fits well profile wise. Serhou Guirassy would have been a nice steal at his reported release clause of around 20m, but he too is at AFCON, making it an illogical deal. The younger, stronger links may come in the summer, with Benjamin Sesko, Santiago Gimenez, Artem Dovbyk and Viktor Gyokeres all expected to feature heavily. Victor Osimhen will of course be the big one, more so because a Chelsea centerforward in a facemask almost always hits inspired form.

Right Centerback

This may well be the one position to watch in Jan. Wesley Fofana and Trev Chalobah have been injured all season, and the latter has been strongly linked with a move away. Thiago Silva turns 40 later this year and whispers of a move back to Brazil with Fluminense haven’t died down since early last year. The heir to Silva’s throne could well be a first choice CB under the age of 23 who has a good chance of smashing through his ceiling quickly. The good news is that there is quality aplenty in the market and that we have been linked with most of it – Sporting’s Ousmane Diomande is quality (but will also be unavailable during AFCON), Lille’s Leny Yoro has been showing remarkable promise since 16 and may also feature on the list despite being just 18.

The latest to be linked is Nice’s Jean-Clair Todibo, who has been superb all season (barring the red card he picked up in his last game.) Todibo, however, will cost a pretty penny and is a downgrade in the air from Disasi, something Poch might not be too pleased about. Benfica’s Antonio Silva is also an exciting option at 20. It would not be a surprise to see a deal agreed this window, with the player remaining with the club until summer, like we did with Nkunku and Gusto. Of course, you could scratch all those options off and just throw Alfie Gilchrist on until summer. He sure as hell looks up for it and it would make another window a lot less stressful for everybody.