With Alexandre Pato and youngster Matt Miazga the only new arrivals at Stamford Bridge, the Blues' current crop of players have been given until the end of the season to impress
A lack of significant recruitment in the summer was held up as a key reason for Chelsea’s struggles this season.
January has also been quiet in terms of new signings, giving the champions’ current crop of players the opportunity to prove their worth as Chelsea target success in the FA Cup and Champions League.
Alexandre Pato has arrived on loan from Corinthians until the end of the campaign and youngster Matt Miazga has joined from New York Red Bulls on a permanent deal.
A total of £25m was recouped from the sale of Ramires to Jiangsu Suning, meanwhile, and misfit Papy Djilobodji has joined Werder Bremen, but otherwise the champions’ squad remains unchanged.
The acquisition of Pato is an intriguing one, with the 26-year-old desperate to recapture his Milan form in the Premier League.
The main takeaway from the winter window at Stamford Bridge, though, regards those already at the club, many of whom have vastly improved since Guus Hiddink replaced Jose Mourinho in the dugout in December.
Diego Costa has now scored six goals in his last seven games, while Cesc Fabregas has begun to pull the strings in the centre of midfield once more.
Oscar and Eden Hazard have also looked brighter than they did at any time under Mourinho this term, with Nemanja Matic the only Chelsea player yet to experience a revival since the Portuguese’s exit.
The above names now know they have until the end of the season to continue their resurgence.
Despite being linked with Jamie Vardy, Jackson Martinez and Ezequiel Lavezzi, Chelsea have sensibly decided to save their cash until the summer, when a new permanent manager will be in place.
The pressure therefore remains off stars such as Costa, Fabregas and Hazard, who will be aware that the back-up options in Chelsea’s squad are generally not strong enough to see their own places in the team come under threat.
If the club’s underperformers can help the Blues to silverware in the coming months, they will have gone some way towards redeeming themselves for a terrible first half of the campaign.
- Goal