With the January transfer window now open, Chelsea once again have the chance to splash the cash in another attempt to solve their problems. The Blues attempted to do exactly that in the summer, of course, but as the Premier League table shows, they failed to find the right reinforcements in the previous window, at least for the short term. At the halfway mark and with a season to turn around, Mauricio Pochettino and co must get things right this time around.
With that said, the London giants have reportedly put together a transfer plan to land a player that Todd Boehly dreams of signing this month and one who could really solve Chelsea's biggest problem.
Chelsea transfer news
Whilst Nicolas Jackson has hardly set the world alight at Stamford Bridge this season, his AFCON departure will still frustrate Pochettino, who could be forced to turn to the likes of Armando Broja as the fixtures continue to come thick and fast in England's top flight.
Claudio Echeverri
19th December
Santiago Gimenez
18th December
Dusan Vlahovic
15th December
Lautaro Martinez
1st January
Artem Dovbyk
31st December
If not Broja, then the Blues could yet find a new option to lead the line in both Jackson's absence and the long-term to finally put an end to their striker woes. That new option is unlikely to be the striker Boehly dreams of signing though, as per reports.
Simon Phillips describes on his Substack that is is impossible for Chelsea to sign Napoli star Victor Osimhen this month to put an end to Boehly's dream.
The Blues were at least given hope, however, with the London club hatching a plan to go back in for the Nigerian during the summer window. Then, they could activate his hefty release clause of around £120m ahead of fellow admirers Real Madrid, having had time to manouvre around FFP with a few sales by that point.
Osimhen, who has just signed a new contract in Italy, could be set to make a Premier League switch and perhaps become Chelsea's ultimate solution under Pochettino, but not until the end of the campaign.
"Complete" Osimhen would put an end to Chelsea's striker problems
Chelsea fans are often left holding their breath when it comes to big-money signings these days, waiting to see whether they rise to stardom or join a growing list of transfer flops. And whilst they'd naturally have similar nerves over Osimhen due to his price tag, they needn't. The Napoli forward has such a price tag for a good reason and would be a major upgrade on Jackson, be it this month or during the summer. Osimhen's stats this season more than back up his more clinical nature too.
Player
Starts
Goals
Expected Goals
Shots on Target
Victor Osimhen
11
7
6.7
12
Nicolas Jackson
16
7
10.6
17
Osimhen has already earned the approval of Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola too, who told Sky Sports when comparing the Nigerian to Didier Drogba: "But Didier didn’t dive. That’s because Didier was too strong to dive! I see a lot of similarities but it’s unfair to compare players from different eras. They both play with a lot of physicality and they are both very good with scoring, taking their opportunities. He’s a very complete player. He’s got a good reference going forward, he can link up play and he’s devastating in the air. He’s a pest to defenders."